Harrison has career-high 21, No. 25 West Virginia women pull away from Kansas 85-60 in Big 12 opener

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Jordan Harrison gets the and-1

Jordan Harrison gets the And-1, 12/30/2023

Dec 30, 2023, 08:18 pm

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- — Jordan Harrison had a career-high 21 points, Kyah Watson had a double-double and No. 25 West Virginia opened Big 12 Conference play with an 85-60 win over Kansas on Saturday.

Harrison was 2 of 4 from 3-point range, with the Mountaineers finishing 9 of 18. She was 7-of-10 shooting overall as West Virginia shot 54% (32 of 59). Led by Harrison's 5 of 5 from the foul line, the Mountaineers were 12 of 15.

Ja'Naiya Quinerly had 13 points for West Virginia (12-0), which is ranked for the first time since 2021. Watson had 11 points and 11 rebounds and Tirzah had 10 points off the bench.

Holly Kersgieter scored 19 points for the Jayhawks (7-5), who had their four-game winning streak snapped. Taiyanna Jackson had 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Harrison scored 11 points in the second quarter when the Mountaineers outscored Kansas 24-13 to lead 38-25 at the half. West Virginia went 4 of 6 from 3-point range and 9 of 15 overall.

Wyvette Mayberry opened the second quarter with a layup to tie the game at 14 but the Mountaineers steadily pulled away with long-range shooting and defensive stops. West Virginia was 7 of 13 behind the arc while Kansas missed all three of its attempts.

A Kersgieter 3-pointer pulled the Jayhawks within nine early in the third quarter. West Virginia's Lauren Fields had a layup and Kylee Blacksten followed with a three-point play and the lead was double figures the rest of the way.

West Virginia is home against Big 12 newcomer Cincinnati on Wednesday while the Jayhawks go to Iowa State. ------ Get alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here ------ AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball