Sydney Shaw scored 20 points to lead WVU over Boise State.

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Not even a previously undefeated team can slow down the West Virginia women’s basketball team.
The 12th-ranked Mountaineers stole Boise State’s mojo and ran with it, winning 82-47 in the Gulf Coast Showcase women’s basketball tournament at Hertz Arena on Saturday.
“We were pretty competitive, I liked the energy,” West Virginia coach Mark Kellogg said. “Defensively, we sped them up.
“Offensively, we were really effective for three-plus quarters. JJ (Quinerly) started early. We learn more about ourselves.”
Sydney Shaw scored 20 points to lead the Mountaineers (8-0), Quinerly added 14 and Jordan Thomas 10. WVU also recorded 14 steals, its sixth game of the season with that many steals.
Elodie Lalotte led Boise State with 11 points.
Boise State came in with a solid record – wins in its first seven games, including a 50-47 win over Colorado; a thrilling 79-76 win over Illinois State in overtime; and a team that made nearly nine three-pointers per game.
The West Virginia was still cruising.
Both teams started slowly, and when Boise State began having trouble getting pressure from West Virginia, the Mountaineers (8-0) turned turnovers into points.
While the Broncos (7-1) were scoreless for five minutes, West Virginia went on a 10-0 run to go up 12-3.
Following Quinerly’s basket, Jordan Harrison (twice), Kya Watson and Quinerly scored after the Mountaineers’ defense forced them into transition.
“Frankly, right from the start,” Shaw said of when West Virginia’s defensive pressure caused problems. “You see who wants the ball and who doesn’t. We were waiting for opportunities.”
Kellogg added. “They’re a pretty good 3-point shooting team. They had open looks, but I think we rushed them a little bit and made them play a little faster.”
West Virginia kept the pressure on, and when Harrison and Sydney Shaw hit 3-pointers, it led 22-6 after the first quarter.
To her surprise, Shaw finished with four C’s.
“I just have a short memory,” she said. “If I miss and I’m open, I’ll still shoot.”
The Mountaineers continued to apply pressure in the second quarter. An 8-2 run to end the first half put them up 45-23.
They made 54.3% of their shots and 40% of their three-point attempts with eight steals. They had an 18-2 advantage in points with no turnovers.
West Virginia shot 45.5% (32 of 67) and had a 40-32 rebounding advantage.

Notes
Kellogg is now 19-0 in non-conference play. … Quinerly topped the 1,500-point mark, which ranks her 14th in program history in scoring. … West Virginia, which committed 23 turnovers against Boise State, forced its first eight opponents this season into more than 20 turnovers per game. … Watson surpassed 600 rebounds in a win over High Point. … Sidney Woodley’s eight interceptions against High Point are a Gulf Coast Showcase single-game record.

Next
West Virginia will play the winner of No. 5 Texas and Butler. If it’s the Longhorns, the Mountaineers will be looking to get revenge after last year’s 70-49 loss.
They struggled to make 3-pointers in that game.
“(The first two games) haven’t required us to make 3-pointers yet,” Kellogg said. “(Texas) is of a size that can detract from some looks. We are confident in our children that they will be able to do this. We’re the eighth-best team in the country with a 37 percent shooting percentage, so we have the ability to make it happen.”

-Story by Craig Handel