MORGANTOWN — One of West Virginia’s best victories of the season may also have been its most costly.
The Mountaineers dominated No. 21 Iowa State in the second half to pull out a 73-60 victory Saturday in front of 2,587 fans inside the Coliseum, but the postgame celebration also included some heartbreak.
It was the Mountaineers’ second win against a ranked team this season — after a 74-65 win against then-No. 18 Baylor — but WVU also saw starters Jayla Hemingway and Kylee Blacksten go down in the second half with ankle injuries.
On top of that, WVU (15-8, 6-6 Big 12) also pulled out the win without key reserve Savannah Samuel, who was injured in practice, and played parts of the fourth quarter without point guard Madisen Smith, who was in foul trouble.
“It was a tough stretch for us, but I thought the young ladies who stepped in played great and gave us great minutes,” WVU head coach Dawn Plitzuweit said. “I thought what we had to do was find ways to get stops and our ladies did a really good job of that.”
The Mountaineers did just that, holding the Cyclones to just 25 points in the second half on 24% (7 of 29) shooting. Iowa State star Ashley Joens finished with 17 points and nine rebounds before fouling out, but was held to just four points in the second half.
“Nothing against West Virginia, but that was probably the worst game we’ve played all season,” Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly said. “You can’t go 5 for 30 (from 3-point range). You can’t turn the ball over. You can’t get-out-rebounded and you can’t put the other team on the free-throw line and expect to win in this league.”
Iowa State, too, played without starting center Stephanie Soares, who had 13 points and 20 rebounds in the Cyclones’ victory against WVU earlier this season. Soares tore her left ACL on Jan. 8.
Not having to face the 6-foot-6 Soares allowed WVU’s J.J. Quinerly to create havoc by driving into the paint and getting to the foul line, especially late in the game.
In the first half, it was Quinerly who kept the Mountaineers close. She had eight of her 20 points in the first quarter and then added three more baskets and went 4 of 6 from the line in the second half.
“She’s a dynamic guard and her shot selection is really good,” Fennelly said. “She can impact the game at both ends of the floor. The big thing is she doesn’t force a lot of stuff and she’s a hard guard to keep in front of you.
“She’s an all-conference player. No doubt.”
Iowa State (15-7, 7-5) was the preseason favorite in the Big 12, according to the coaches’ poll, but the Cyclones have lost three straight and are limping into March.
Meanwhile, the Mountaineers moved up into a tie with Kansas for sixth in the Big 12, while ending their own three-game losing streak.
What happens from here, though, may depend on who WVU can put on the floor.
Plitzuweit had no injury information on either Hemingway or Blacksten, but Hemingway came back to the bench on crutches and a medical boot on her left ankle and Blacksten exited the Coliseum with a medical boot on her left leg, too.
“It was really tough, because (Hemingway) had played 30 minutes before she got injured and she had 12 rebounds,” Plitzuweit said. “She battled, and it didn’t matter who she was matched up against. It’s a big loss for us, but hopefully we get her back quick.”
WVU forward Kyah Watson had her first double-double of the season with 11 points and 12 rebounds to go along with Quinerly’s 20 points.
WVU forward Isis Beh also stepped up with her best game of the season with nine points and three rebounds filling in for Blacksten.
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