WVU Women’s Basketball Beats Cincinnati, Stretches Win Streak to 13

WVU Women’s Basketball showed why they’re the No. 24 ranked team in the country on Wednesday night, breezing past the Cincinnati Bearcats 68-53 on a night when they weren’t even playing their best.

The Mountaineers’ defense took over early, making 12 steals and forcing 17 turnovers in the first half. West Virginia stifled the Bearcats from baseline to baseline, allowing just seven points in the opening period—including just three in the first 8:52. The Mountaineers struggled to settle in themselves, though, going 0-for-8 from beyond the arc in the first period.

Kyah Watson contributed eight of West Virginia’s 14 points in the first ten minutes, continuing her recent streak of red-hot play after recording a double-double in West Virginia’s Big 12 opener at Kansas.

.@kyahwatson5 havin' a day 👏#NCAAWBB x 🎥 ESPN+ / @WVUWBB pic.twitter.com/VJKbpaa9iu

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) January 4, 2024

Deep shots started falling for the Mountaineers in the second period, starting with consecutive triples from Lauren Fields and Jayla Hemingway to open the frame. Jordan Harrison sank a three from downtown with six seconds left in the quarter to cap a 5-for-9 performance for the team and send West Virginia to the break with a 36-19 lead.

Watson and JJ Quinerly got into foul trouble in the third period, helping the Bearcats—who limited themselves to a game-best two turnovers in the quarter—clean up their offense. West Virginia still didn’t let Cincinnati find any semblance of an offensive rhythm, though, continuing to go blow for blow and allowing just 31.6 percent of shots from the field.

That allowed the Mountaineers to cruise to victory. Even as the Bearcats heated up in the fourth quarter, they still couldn’t put much of a dent in West Virginia’s lead.

WVU Women’s Basketball improves to 13-0 (2-0 Big 12). They’ll host No. 10 Texas at the WVU Coliseum at 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 6.