2024-01-13 19:26:58
ORLANDO, Fla. — — Ja’Naiya Quinerly scored 21 points, Jordan Harrison scored 19 and No. 24 West Virginia pulled away in the third quarter to beat UCF 76-59 Saturday.
West Virginia (14-2, 3-2 Big 12), which had lost back-to-back games to No. 10 Texas and at defending Big 12 champion Iowa State, limited the Knights to 29% shooting and forced 26 UCF turnovers, including 12 steals. The Mountaineers went into the game leading the nation in total steals (222) and steals per game (14.8).
Lauren Fields hit three 3-pointers and finished with 13 points for West Virginia.
Kyah Watson hit a jumper, Fields followed with a 3-pointer and Harrison added a layup to make it 27-21 with 4:21 left in the first half and the Mountaineers led the remainder. Quinerly made two free throws to open the scoring in the second half and Fields made a jumper regarding 90 seconds into the third quarter that pushed the lead into double figures for good.
Kaitlin Peterson scored in the lane regarding a minute later to trim UCF’s deficit to 41-31 but the Knights missed their next six field-goal attempts as West Virginia scored 15 of the next 19 to make it 56-35 when Quinerly hit a 3 with 3:39 left in the third.
Peterson, who scored a career-high 35 in the Knights’ 64-63 loss at Cincinnati on Wednesday, scored 18 points on 5-of-19 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds. Morgan Robinson-Nwagwu. who made 14 of 15 from the free-throw line, also scored 18 points and Khyala Ngodu finished 12 rebounds, nine points and three steals.
UCF, in its first year as a member of the Big 12, has lost five in a row to open conference play.
West Virginia visits Houston to take on the Cougars on Thursday. UCF hits the road to play Thursday at No. 4 Baylor.
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