WVU Women’s Basketball Forces Turnover-Fest Versus Arizona

WVU Women’s Basketball put together another textbook win for a Mark Kellogg-coached team on Saturday, Feb. 7, forcing 29 turnovers in their 87-68 win over the Arizona Wildcats at Hope Coliseum.

The No. 20 Mountaineers (20-5, 10-3 Big 12) scored 38 points off those turnovers, helping them establish distance against a Wildcats team capable of scoring at will down low. Arizona put up 48 points in the paint — the Mountaineers managed 44 — and didn’t bother with the three-point line, only attempting six shots in spite of the blowout.

Even though Arizona made 31 of 60 shots on the day, West Virginia managed to push their lead as high as 34 points in the fourth quarter, an 11-0 run over the final 2:28 making the final score less of an onslaught.

The Mountaineers took control in the second period, outscoring Arizona 27-9 and cashing in on five of eight three-point shots. Kierra “Meme” Wheeler led the field with 17 points, making eight of 11 shots. Five Mountaineers finished in double digits in a strong all-around performance. Arizona’s shooting picked up out of the break, making 19 of 34 shots in the final 20 minutes as West Virginia no longer needed to apply pressure.

Instead, the Mountaineers’ bench got to check in for 79 minutes, junior forward Célia Rivière finishing with 10 points.

WVU Women’s Basketball remains in third place in the Big 12: their 10 wins pace the conference, but TCU and Baylor, both at 9-2, have two games in hand. Up next, the Mountaineers will host UCF at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 11.