WVU Women Rise Two Spots in AP Top 25

WVU women’s basketball rose two spots to No. 16 in the final AP Top 25 Poll of the regular season, released Monday morning.

The Mountaineers (23-6, 13-5 Big 12) were stuck at No. 18 the last two weeks, but a pair of wins to close the regular season boosted the team up a couple of spots in the poll. WVU trounced Utah, 75-46, on Wednesday and closed the regular season with an 85-69 win at Cincinnati on Saturday.

On the move 📈#HailWV pic.twitter.com/Qrvye4ps5a

— WVU Women's Basketball (@WVUWBB) March 3, 2025

Against the Utes, star shooting guard JJ Quinerly matched WVU’s single-game scoring record with a career-high 38 points. Quinerly nailed 16 of 21 shots, including four of five from three-point range, coming close to outscoring the Utes single handedly. The Mountaineers put on another defensive clinic, limiting an excellent 21-7 Utah team to a 31.5 shooting percentage and forcing 28 turnovers. Those giveaways turned into 35 points for West Virginia.

At Cincinnati, the Mountaineers rode another standout performance from Quinerly, who dropped 31 points, all but seven of them in the first half, helping West Virginia establish a 44-30 lead at the break. Quinerly hit the 20-point mark with more than four minutes to go until the half and added seven rebounds, seven assists and a steal, while Jordan Harrison contributed 21 points and Jordan Thomas dropped 16 off the bench.

The wins not only moved the Mountaineers up in the rankings, but they also earned WVU the No. 4 seed in the upcoming Big 12 Tournament, securing a double bye in the 16-team bracket. The Mountaineers will play their first game Friday at 11 a.m. against either UCF, BYU or Kansas State.

Other Big 12 teams in this week’s Top 25 are No. 8 TCU, No. 17 Baylor, No. 20 Kansas State and No. 21 Oklahoma State. Utah received six votes.