CANCUN, Mexico — The No. 23 West Virginia women’s basketball team suffered its first loss of the season Thursday evening as the Mountaineers fell to Creighton 82-75 at the Hard Rock Resort Riviera Maya.
Redshirt senior guard Tynice Martin led WVU (4-1) in scoring with 19 points. Freshman guard Kirsten Deans and redshirt junior guard Kysre Gondrezick also turned in double-figures scoring performances. Deans scored 14 and Gondrezick scored 12.
After the Bluejays jumped out to an early lead, Martin put the Mountaineers on the board with a 3-pointer that reclaimed the lead. Martin scored the next four points for WVU, before freshman forward Esmery Martinez added two more on a putback lay-up. Martin added four more points at the halfway mark of the first quarter to put her into double figures. Gondrezick and redshirt freshman center Rochelle Norris further added to the Mountaineers’ lead, as they each converted two points at the free throw line. Gondrezick and Deans sank back-to-back shots from behind the arc, and the Mountaineers led Creighton by eight at the end of the first quarter.
Creighton sank a 3-pointer to begin the second, but redshirt junior guard Arleighshya McElroy countered with a fast-break lay-up. Norris added another fast-break bucket off an assist from Deans, before sophomore guard Madisen Smith added a pair of 3-pointers to give the Mountaineers an 11-point lead midway through the second quarter. Creighton then went on 14-2 run to close out the half and led the Mountaineers 43-41 at the break.
Sophomore forward Kari Niblack opened third-quarter scoring for WVU with a pair of lay-ups, but Creighton sustained its lead as they added 12 points to their lead through the first five minutes of the second half. A 3-pointer from Gondrezick and a pair of jumpers from Martin cut the lead to four, but the Bluejays outscored the Mountaineers by seven in the third quarter. West Virginia trailed Creighton 63-54 heading into the final quarter of play.
Gondrezick hit her third 3-pointer of the game two minutes into the fourth quarter before Niblack and Martinez each scored a layup to cut the Creighton lead to 11. Deans added ten points of her own in the fourth quarter, but the Bluejays kept the Mountaineers at bay to claim the victory.
West Virginia shot 26 of 66 (39.4%) from the field, including 8 of 22 (36.4%) from behind the arc. The Mountaineers held the advantage in turnovers, second-chance points and bench points (23-8). Martin led the rebounding effort, posting nine boards, while Gondrezick turned in a team-high three steals. Martin also led the team with four assists, and Niblack posted three blocks.
Creighton finished 30 of 60 (50.0%) from the field, including 13 of 26 (50.0%) from 3-point range. Jaylyn Agnew led all scorers with 34 points, while Tatum Rembao led the Bluejays on the glass with nine rebounds. Rembao also posted 10 assists for CU.
