WVU Women’s Basketball Collapses in Last Second Loss vs. Baylor

WVU Women’s Basketball had the game all but won, ahead 65-64 with the ball and less than ten seconds to play.

Baylor guard Jada Walker stole the ball from Mountaineers’ standout JJ Quinerly, who fouled out of the game to set up the winning free throws in No. 22 West Virginia’s stunning loss to the No. 24 Bears.

On a day where she became the 28th Mountaineer in program history to score 500 points in a single season, Quinerly also set a career high with 33 points… and ended up on the wrong side of a shocking loss.

For almost the first nine minutes of the game, Quinerly was the only Mountaineer to score a point, going blow for blow with the Bears all alone as Baylor pulled ahead 13-8. From there, the rest of the Mountaineers’ offense managed to find their rhythm, as the team sparked an 8-0 run in the last 68 seconds to take a lead into the second period. 

West Virginia’s offense showed its streaky side once again in the second frame, going scoreless for nearly four minutes as the Bears used a 6-0 run to make it a one point game. Quinerly drained a three to end the drought, and the Mountaineers led 28-25 at the break.

Five lead changes occurred in the first 3:03 of the third period before the Bears started to pull away as the half went on, creating an 18-6 run that lasted into the fourth period and forcing Mark Kellogg to call a timeout with his team trailing 54-42.

Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory

In a game of back and forth runs, it was the Mountaineers who took the lead late, scoring 11 unanswered points—nine of them from Quinerly, including the go-ahead three—in a span of two minutes.

The Bears called a timeout but couldn’t convert on their layup attempt, giving West Virginia possession with 46 seconds to play. Instead of trying to score a quick basket to give themselves a chance at the final possession, the Mountaineers inexplicably let the shot clock run out… although Jayla Hemingway forced a turnover to give them the ball back, setting up the final, heartbreaking sequence.

Jordan Harrison’s layup at the buzzer failed as the Mountaineers lost two games in a row for the first time all season.

Walker stole the ball from Quinerly and was injured in the process, allowing the Bears to sub in Jana Van Gytenbeek—an 80 percent free throw shooter—to drain the winning foul shots.

WVU Women’s Basketball falls to 22-5 on the season (11-5 Big 12). They’ll next take the court at Oklahoma State, tipping off at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 27.

Postgame Reaction