MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — In a dominant performance, No. 20 West Virginia triumphed over Colorado with a score of 73-46 on Wednesday night, led by Sydney Shaw and JJ Quinerly, who each contributed 19 points.
The Mountaineers showcased their strength particularly in the second quarter, where they outperformed the Buffaloes 16-2 to take a 31-27 lead into halftime. They then continued their momentum into the final quarter, closing the game with a stunning 24-6 run.
Adding to the team’s success, Kylee Blacksten and Kyah Watson each chipped in with 10 points. West Virginia (14-3, 4-2 Big 12 Conference) dominated defensively, forcing Colorado into 30 turnovers which they converted into 39 points.
For the Buffaloes (12-5, 3-3), Frida Formann was the top scorer with 11 points, but the team struggled to find their rhythm, shooting only 38% from the field and making just 4 of 17 attempts from beyond the arc. This matchup was a rematch of a previous game on December 21, where Colorado had bested the Mountaineers 60-55.
Colorado found early success as Nyamer Diew scored seven of her nine points during a 14-0 run that granted them a 22-15 lead at the end of the first quarter. However, the second quarter was a different story; Shaw’s back-to-back 3-pointers shifted the momentum, as Colorado struggled significantly, going only 1 for 14 from the field and committing a staggering 10 turnovers during that stretch.
The third quarter was more evenly matched, with Colorado claiming the initial eight points and West Virginia responding with a 15-0 surge. In the fourth quarter, Quinerly ignited the Mountaineers with six consecutive points to help build a substantial 63-40 lead with five minutes remaining. Colorado couldn’t find their shot, missing their first seven attempts and racking up five turnovers as the game wound down.
With this performance, Quinerly entered the top 15 of all-time career scorers at West Virginia with 1,657 points to her name. Looking ahead, Colorado is set to play at Cincinnati on Saturday, while West Virginia will be hosting Iowa State on Sunday.
