West Virginia wins decisively, advances in NCAA Tournament

JJ Quinerly had a standout performance with 27 points as sixth-seeded West Virginia defeated 11th-seeded Columbia 78-59 in the first round of the women's NCAA Tournament on Saturday. Jordan Harrison also shined, matching her career-high with 23 points. West Virginia dominated the game from start to finish, never trailing. Their strong defense helped them secure 17 steals. The Mountaineers, with a record now at 25-7, will advance to play the winner of the matchup between No. 3 North Carolina and No. 14 Oregon State on Monday. Columbia, which had recently celebrated its first tournament win, struggled against West Virginia's aggressive play, committing 25 turnovers overall. Cecelia Collins led Columbia's scoring with 16 points, while Riley Weiss and Kitty Henderson added 14 and 13 points, respectively. The Mountaineers set the pace early, quickly moving ahead 12-5. They maintained control throughout the game, even holding a lead of 22 points at one point. A significant moment occurred when Columbia went scoreless for over five minutes in the first half, allowing West Virginia to pull ahead with a 12-0 run. With this victory, West Virginia aims for its first Sweet 16 appearance since 1992.