The Mountaineers (3-0) went on the road to Atlanta, Georgia, and beat Georgia Tech, 81-63. The game was tied for 29 seconds before the Mountaineers took their first lead and never gave it up. Skylar Forbes led WVU women’s basketball at Georgia Tech with 23 points, while Gia Cooke added 20 points. Kennedy Harris was the only other player in double digits with 11 for WVU. West Virginia returns to action on Friday, November 13, at Colonial Hall at the Greenbrier Tipoff in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, at 5:30 p.m. Read more: WVU goes wire-to-wire to win 81-53 at Georgia Tech.
First quarter
Harris started the game with a three-pointer after West Virginia won the tip. Khyala Ngodu assisted on the opening play of the game. Zahirah “ZaZa” Walton kept the next possession alive with an offensive rebound, which led to two free throws from Forbes.
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Georgia Tech’s first points came after a steal by Ariadna Termis. Jordan Ode made a layup off an assist from La’nya Foster. Harris responded with a three-pointer for the Mountaineers off an assist from Walton. Cooke’s first points came from the free-throw line, making two points to make it 10-2.
Talayah Walker cut the lead to six points with two free throws. Harris extended the lead back to eight with an offensive rebound and a putback. The teams traded baskets before the Mountaineers started to pull away. It started with a driving layup from Cooke. The Mountaineers converted a Yellow Jackets turnover into points thanks to an offensive rebound and putback from Ngodu.
Cooke made a three-pointer following an offensive rebound by Walton to make it 21-12. Termis made a layup on the other end, but Cooke extended it back to an 11-point lead with a layup. Walker made a three-pointer at the end of the quarter to cut the lead back to 11 points.
Second quarter
A steal by Nylah Wilson led to a layup from Forbes to start the second quarter. After a pair of Walker free throws, Divine Tumba got on the board with a layup assisted by Walton. Cooke and Ngodu made the next two baskets to extend the lead to 35-18.
Walker made one of two free throws and another layup after a Tumba layup. Georgia Tech cut the lead to 12 points with four quick points from Walker, including a layup following her steal.
Forbes made it 41-25 with a three-pointer assisted by Walton. Walker immediately responded with a three of her own, giving her 19 points in the first half. Ode made a layup to cut it to 11, but Forbes extended it back to 13 points with an offensive rebound and a putback. WVU led 43-30 at the break.
At the break
The Mountaineers shot 51.5% from the field in the first half, while the Yellow Jackets shot 44%. Georgia Tech made two-of-four threes, and WVU made four-of-11. The difference was the rebounding. WVU had 19 total rebounds to Georgia Tech’s 10. They also had nine offensive rebounds with 16 second-chance points. The Mountaineers also had 26 points in the paint.
Cooke was the only player in double digits in the first half for WVU with 12 points. Forbes had nine, and Harris had eight. Tumba added six points off the bench. Walker did most of the scoring with 19 points for the Yellow Jackets in the first half.
Second half
The Mountaineers really pulled away in the third quarter. It started with a Forbes layup. Forbes turned a Walton steal into two more to make it 49-33. Cooke followed with a three-pointer, which was answered by Termis in the paint. WVU rattled off the next seven points. Forbes and Harris made back-to-back threes.
Erica Moon hit a three-pointer for Georgia Tech, which was answered by a Forbes three. Ode made four consecutive points to cut the lead to 20 points. Cooke responded with a three-pointer. The Mountaineers led 67-45 after the third quarter.
Georgia Tech made it a little closer in the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late. Tumba started it with a layup off her own steal. She followed it with an offensive rebound and a putback. Cooke made two free throws, giving WVU a 28-point lead.
Georgia Tech went on a 11-0 run starting with just under six minutes remaining. It cut the deficit to 16 points with 3:34 remaining. The Mountaineers answered with a 6-0 run and put to bed any hopes of a comeback. WVU won 81-53.
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