No. 17 West Virginia women's basketball looked every bit of a national championship contending team on Monday afternoon.
The Mountaineers hosted No. 12 Kansas State at the WVU Coliseum for a President's Day matchup between nationally-ranked conference opponents -- the Wildcats also entered atop the Big 12 standings.
But neither Kansas State’s higher ranking or lead in the league standings seemed to have much of an effect on WVU. The Mountaineers were able to take advantage of Kansas State missing their top player in Ayoka Lee, and ride the momentum of a raucous home crowd to a stunning 70-57 upset.
“One of the officials told me it just feels different in here,” WVU Head Coach Mark Kellogg told the Mountaineer Sports Network following the game. “We were trying to get it as loud as we could and rattle them.”
‼️#17 Mountaineers OVERTAKE #12 Wildcats‼️
— Big 12 Studios (@big12studios) February 17, 2025
#12 K-State vs. #17 West Virginia Highlights🎥👀#Big12WBB | @WVUWBB pic.twitter.com/bd82In7dxy
WVU (21-5, 12-4) showed out on both ends of the court in what was essentially a clinic on how to knock off a Top 25 opponent. Defensively, they came away with 13 total steals, forced 21 Kansas State turnovers, and converted 27 points off those takeaways. It was a vintage performance from veteran Mountaineer Kyah Watson, who forced four steals and racked up 15 total rebounds -- 10 of those coming on the defensive end.
On the other end of the hardwood, the Mountaineers converted eight shots from behind-the-arc and saw a trio of athletes hit double-digit scoring totals on the day -- senior JJ Quinerly continued a string of exceptional offensive outings, dropping 26 points and adding four assists. Jordan Harrison managed 18 points for WVU, while Jordan Thomas added 11.
Veteran West Virginia author and sports reporter John Antonik told Mountaineer Sports Network following the game that he has “no doubt” that WVU is a “Top 10 team” at home and hopes to see them be able to transfer it to the road as the Mountaineers travel to Texas this weekend for another Top 25 opponents in TCU. That game is set for Sunday, February 23rd.