Photo by Miles Sitachitta-Mountaineer Maven
Mountaineers Oust Jayhawks
The West Virginia women’s basketball team knocked off Kansas on Saturday afternoon inside the Coliseum, 60-53.
The Jayhawks got out to a 7-0 lead through the opening four minutes of the first quarter after an Aniya Thomas three pointer a minute into the game.
A Rochelle Norris layup as well as a Kari Niblack jumper made it a 12-4 ballgame. Madisen Smith hit a deep ball from three that cut the Mountaineer deficit to three points halfway into the second quarter.
Tynice Martin then nailed a jumper to give West Virginia the advantage, 21-20, with two minutes remaining until halftime. A pair of Tina Stephens free throws tied things up before the half.
The Mountaineers ran away on an 11-3 run to begin the second half behind Madisen Smith’s jumper and free throw to make it a 37-29 score with four minutes remaining until the final quarter.
Holly Kersgieter attempted to pull the Jayhawks back into it with a three before Zakiyah Franklin dribbled in for a layup and the three-point deficit heading into the fourth.
The Jayhawks continued to stay within striking distance of the Mountaineers as Mariane Carvalho nailed a pair of threes before Kersgieter hit a three only two minutes later.
Both teams went on somewhat a of scoring drought the next four minutes as Kari Niblack was the only Mountaineer to score with a free throw with over two minutes left in regulation.
West Virginia was the champion at the free throw line on the night which seemed to be the deciding factor on the night as the Mountaineers shot 75 percent at the line as opposed to the Jayhawks 53 percent.
A slew of Kansas turnovers then iced the game as Smith drained the final pair of free throws for the seven point, 60-53, victory.
Martin led the way for the Mountaineers on the night after totaling 19 points which was followed by Niblack’s 14 points and Smith’s 12 points for the trio of Mountaineers.
The victory marked West Virginia’s first since their win over Texas Tech on February 15, 67-60.
West Virginia will now look to protect their home court at the Coliseum again as Baylor will come to Morgantown on February 24th for WVU Student Giveaway.
