West Virginia Takes Control of the Second Half and Buries Pitt

The Mountaineers big second half buries the Panthers in the Backyard Brawl

West Virginia University junior guard Jordan Harrison. / Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

Morgantown, WV – No.15 West Virginia was tested early in the Backyard Brawl but forced 30 turnovers, while senior guard JJ Quinerly led all scorers with 17 points and junior guard Jordan Harrison put in 14 points as the Mountaineers (3-0) surged in the second half for an 82-54 win over the Pitt Panthers Tuesday night.

West Virginia forward Kylee Blacksten started the game with a three, but Pitt responded with a 5-0 spurt for the early 5-3 advantage.

Points came at a premium in the first quarter with the two programs combining for 12 turnovers in the first 10 minutes and the Mountaineers held a 12-9 lead at the end of the period.  

West Virginia began to sperate themselves from the Panthers in the second period, forcing three Pitt turnovers to propel a 9-2 run in just over two minutes of play. In total, WVU created nine second quarter Panther turnovers and built its largest first half lead of 11 with 1:33 remaining in the half before taking a 35-25 lead into halftime.

The Mountaineers continued its defensive prowess in the third period and stretched their lead over the Panthers despite shooting 8-20 from the field, including 0-7 from three-point range but led 56-41 through three periods of play.

West Virginia opened the fourth period with a 14-2 run, behind a pair of threes from junior guard Sydney Shaw and two technical fouls called on Pitt head coach Tory Verdi added a pair of free throws for junior guard Jordan Harrison to cap off the run.

The Mountaineers continued to pour it on the Panthers in the fourth period, building their largest lead of 30 in the final minute of play as West Virginia rolled to a 82-54 victory.