The #18 West Virginia Mountaineers (23-6, 13-5 Big 12) cruised to an 85-69 win over the Cincinnati Bearcats (15-13, 7-11 Big 12) on Saturday, completing a regular season sweep of their Big 12 foes. Cincinnati jumped out to a 5-3 lead early in the contest, but the Mountaineers were able to quickly take control and tie the game up at 5 before taking the lead themselves at 8-5. West Virginia would not look back on their way to the 16 point victory, in a game where they led by as much as 22.
Mountaineers Crash the Boards, Dominate Paint
West Virginia was able to find success early and often in the paint, outscoring the Bearcats 36-20 down low. The Mountaineers strong physical presence helped them secure 47 rebounds to Cincinnati’s 29, and the Mountaineers had an impressive 21 offensive rebounds to the Bearcats 18 defensive rebounds, emphasizing their ability to control the glass. The contest saw plenty of free throw opportunities for both teams, as the Mountaineers would make 23-31 on 20 fouls and the Bearcats would hit 13-24 on 21 fouls.
Twice as Nice
Three Mountaineers scored in double digits during the win, including two Jordans: Jordan Harrison and Jordan Shaw. Junior guard Jordan Harrison scored 21 points, including a 9/10 effort from the charity stripe, while freshman forward Jordan Thomas posted 16 points on 7/10 shooting along with 8 rebounds. Thomas’ 16 points are the second highest of her young career, however it’s her career high in Big 12 play. Senior star JJ Quinerly had another impressive showing to end the regular season, coming off of a career 38 points in a game prior against Utah. She scored 31 points, of which she had 24 in the first half alone, while securing 7 rebounds and 7 assists.
Quinerly Comments On Freshman Thomas
JJ Quinerly donned a headset and spoke to commentators on-camera after the game, and gave thoughts on her teammate Jordan Thomas’ impressive 16 points: “JT (Jordan Thomas) gives us a good look on the inside because she has a big post presence, can block shots, and get and-1’s. So good look for her, and she’s our freshman so loved her having a good game today”. West Virginia will certainly need all the firepower they can muster from reliable seniors to up and coming freshman as they begin Big 12 Tournament play, which starts on Wednesday, March 5th.
For More Great Hardwood Heroics Content
Follow me on Twitter at @austingragg for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in NBA and College Basketball, click here!
