WVU's J.J. Quinerly exhibits elite scoring talent in massive first-half at Houston

West Virginia women's basketball senior guard J.J. Quinerly was recently announced to the Naismith Women's Defensive Player of the Year Watch List, but she flexed her muscle in a big way offensively with a gargantuan first-half effort on the road at Houston on Saturday afternoon.

Quinerly, who's earned Conference Player of the Week honors this season from the Big 12 and was also named to the Preseason Naismith Women's College Player of the Year watchlist, entered halftime against the Cougars leading the Mountaineers with 18 points, shooting 7-for-12 from the field and 3-for-4 from three-point range to get there -- in the first quarter alone, Quinerly tallied 16-of-those-18 on 6 field goals, including a 3-for-3 effort from behind-the-arc.

Quinerly's big performance helped lead the Mountaineers on a 20-0 run to open the contest which propelled them into a 37-18 lead at the halftime break that put them in a comfortable position to close out the ball game. It is also quite an impressive scoring burst for an athlete currently sitting as a Top 10 finalist for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Award.

On the season, Quinerly has once again been a major force for the Mountaineers. She leads the team in both scoring, with 19 points per game, as well as steals, with 3.4 per game. She's also second on the team with 3.1 assists per game. Her steals per game average also paces the Big 12 conference, while her scoring average sits an impressive fourth overall in the league.