MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The Mountaineers (2-0) beat George Washington 78-66 at Hope Coliseum. No. 24 WVU used a strong second half led by Divine Tumba off the bench and Skylar Forbes hot hand. She tied a career high in points with 26 and set a new career high with six threes. WVU returns to action on Sunday, November 11, at Georgia Tech at McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta, Georgia. The game starts at 2 p.m. Eastern. Read more: Skylar Forbes’ career night leads WVU women’s basketball past George Washington.
“She doesn’t have to force it, and I challenged her even yesterday to not be defined by her shooting,” Head coach Mark Kellogg said about Forbes. “I think she got frustrated a couple nights ago because threes didn’t fall, she didn’t get as many looks, or quality looks.”
Forbes finished the game with six threes on ten attempts and started making her first seven field goals of the game. She made 10-of-14 field goals, adding three rebounds and one assist.
First quarter
The Mountaineers won the tip and scored following an offensive rebound. Skylar Forbes found ZaZa Walton on a cut, and she made the layup through contact. She converted the and-one opportunity. Alicia Newell got the Revolutionaries on the board with a pair of layups, with the Mountaineers giving her a second chance due to a lane violation.
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Forbes made a layup on the other end, which was quickly answered by Gabby Reynolds of George Washington. Reynolds remained aggressive on the next possession, getting into the paint and converting the and-one to give them a 7-5 lead. Newell stole an errant pass from Gia Cooke and turned it into two points in transition.
Khyala Ngodu found Walton on a cut for the layup to beat the shot clock. Forbes connected on a three-pointer in the corner with 4:36 remaining to give the Mountaineers the lead, 10-9.
Divine Tumba extended the lead with a strong post move to the opposite side of the rim. She was blocked on her first attempt; Forbes grabbed the offensive rebound and found Tumba on the block. Newell answered on the other end with a layup following her own offensive rebound.
Cooke got on the board with a driving layup following a travel by George Washington. Newell brought the Revolutionaries back within one point with a jump shot off the glass from the elbow. Kamari Sims gave George Washington the lead at the end of the quarter with a three-pointer from the corner. The Revolutionaries led 16-14 after the first quarter.
Second quarter
The second quarter started slowly. Ngodu tied it with two from the line following a WVU offensive rebound. Sara Lewis broke the 16-16 tie with a driving layup off a Mountaineer turnover.
Walton answered with a finger-roll layup on a drive into the middle of the lane to regain the lead. Alexis Bordas connected on a three-pointer, giving the Wheeling native her first points as a Mountaineer after not dressing in the first game.
Forbes extended the lead to 24-18 with a three-pointer following a steal by Bordas. It prompted a George Washington timeout with 5:51 remaining.
George Washington ended an 8-0 run by WVU with a jumper by Amor Harris. It also ended a scoring drought over two minutes.
Cooke made up for the turnover by Ngodu with a steal near half-court. She found Bordas on a cut, and she made both free throws after the foul. Walton followed with a made layup off her own steal. It gave the Mountaineers a 28-20 lead with 4:37 remaining.
The Revolutionaries turned a Newell steal into two easy points on the other end. The lazy passing continued for WVU, as Cooke turned it over on the next possession. Newell missed the first free throw, but made the second. Jaeda Wilson followed with a turnaround jumper to make it 28-26.
Forbes scored on a layup to be the first player in double digits. Walton made a pair of free throws following her own steal to notch 11 points in the first half. Forbes hit a three-pointer with 43 seconds remaining to extend the lead to six points.
Sims answered with a quick two on a driving layup. Kennedy Harris made two free throws with one second remaining to give WVU a 37-31 lead heading into the locker room.
At the break
West Virginia shot 36% from the field in the first half, and matched that with 36% from behind the arc, making four of eleven. George Washington shot 44% from the field and two-of-eight from three. The Mountaineers made nine of 13 from the line, while the Revolutionaries made five of seven.
WVU had 20 rebounds to George Washington’s 18. The Mountaineers also had eight offensive rebounds. The Mountaineers won the turnover battle 12-15, including seven steals on defense.
Forbes led all scorers with 13 points, while Walton had 11. Forbes made three of four threes, grabbed two rebounds, and assisted on one basket. Walton made four of five field goals and went three-for-three from the line. Newell led George Washington with nine points, adding five rebounds and two assists.
Third quarter
Newell started the scoring in the second half with a layup after grabbing the offensive rebound. Ngodu got a steal on defense, and Walton found her on the other end to make it 39-33.
Tumba grabbed an offensive rebound and made the putback through contact. She converted the and-one opportunity. Reynolds answered with a three-pointer on the other end off an assist from Sims.
Tumba continued to provide a spark off the bench after Ngodu picked up her fourth personal foul. She got a steal after a Walton made a basket, and made the layup to make it 46-37.
After the timeout from George Washington head coach Ganiyat Adeduntan, WVU forced a shot clock violation. Forbes turned the turnover into two points before the media timeout.
Forbes hit a three-pointer following a George Washington turnover out of the break. Reynolds answered with a three of her own. Reynolds found a groove with another three-pointer to make it 51-43.
Tumba grabbed an offensive rebound and made the putback, giving her nine points and seven in the third quarter. Lewis nailed a three-pointer on the other end. Cooke responded with a three-pointer of her own, extending the lead to 11.
Newell made a driving layup for the Revolutionaries, and Tumba responded with another layup inside. Bair ended the quarter with a driving layup to make it 61-52.
Fourth quarter
Tumba started the fourth quarter where she left off with a layup assisted by Cooke. Reynolds answered with a jump shot on the other end.
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Walton extended the lead to 64-52 with a layup off an assist from Bordas. Newell cut it back to nine with a layup and a free throw after a foul on Marya Hudgins.
N’na Konate made one of two free throws, and got a steal on defense after the second missed free throw. She turned the steal into points to make it 64-58.
Forbes nailed a three-pointer off an assist from Cooke to bring the lead to nine. Reynolds cut it to seven points with a jumper with 4:30 remaining. Forbes answered with a driving layup to make it 70-61.
Wilson made a layup for George Washington to cut into the deficit. Bordas extended it back to nine points with two free throws, giving her seven points. Newell made two free throws for the Revolutionaries after a Cooke foul.
Forbes continued to stay hot from behind the arc, making a three off an assist from Walton. It was her sixth made three-pointer of the game, marking a new career high for the Marquette transfer.
Tumba brought the lead to 12 points with 34 seconds remaining after grabbing an offensive rebound. The Revolutionaries could not cut into the lead, and WVU dribbled the clock out. They won 78-66.
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