Subscribe
Follow Us
The West Virginia women's basketball team, led by coach Mark Kellogg, achieved an impressive 84-43 victory over UCF on Tuesday. Point guard Jordan Harrison, a key contributor with 10 points, six rebounds and five assists in the game, emphasized the team's focus on consistency as part of its strategy.
“We just mainly focus on staying consisten,” Harrison said, via Justin Jackson of The Dominion Post. “We don’t want to get too comfortable. I think that’s what’s helped us stay in the top 25.”
The Mountaineers, currently holding an 18-2 record and a 7-2 standing in the Big 12, have been the embodiment of an easy-going yet formidable team. Under the guidance of first-year coach Kellogg, they've risen unexpectedly to a No. 23 national ranking. The recent win propels them into the latter half of the Big 12 schedule, placing them just behind Kansas State and Oklahoma in the standings.
West Virginia has transcended its underdog status, now playing as favorites, a role they embraced fully against UCF. Star player J.J. Quinerly scored 26 points on impressive shooting. Lauren Fields and Kyah Watson also made significant contributions, with Fields hitting three 3-pointers and Watson adding a mix of points, rebounds and steals.
“I don’t think the moment will get too big, as long as we just play our game and not try to do things we usually don’t do,” Harrison said. “Just play our game and we’ll be fine.”
Article Continues Below
The road ahead for WVU is filled with potential milestones, including a possible Big 12 title and the unprecedented opportunity to host the opening rounds of the NCAA tournament. However, Kellogg remains grounded, focusing on the immediate challenges and adhering to the philosophy of taking one game at a time.
“We still haven’t really talked about it much,” Kellog said. “We did talk about this being the halfway point (of the Big 12 season). We’ll talk briefly about what this next part looks like and here’s the next stretch coming up.
“It’s the old coaching cliche, we’re going to take it one game at a time. We’ve got a couple of opponents now that we still haven’t faced and that will be something different for us again, something new. I don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves.”
UCF head coach Sytia Messer, an experienced former assistant at Baylor under Kim Mulkey, praised WVU's performance.
“I think they are a really good team. I really do,” Messer said. “I think their record shows where they stand in this league. They’re physical. They’re going to cause you to turn the ball over and they play well. I think they’re one of the best teams in our league.”
