West Virginia women’s basketball (2-0) led for all but 19 seconds of Saturday’s game in a 71-62 win over Pitt (1-1) at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh.

The Mountaineers shot a solid 43.8% from the field – and 33.3% from deep – but defense played a massive role in the win. WVU forced Pitt to commit 28 turnovers, and the Mountaineers scored 28 points off those takeaways.

It was the first time WVU forced 28+ turnovers since its win over Kansas State in January of 2021 when the Mountaineers forced 29 turnovers.

Saturday’s game was also the first meeting between the two schools since Dec. 2018. Interestingly enough, Pitt turned the ball over 28 times in that game.

Pitt guard Marley Washenitz – a Fairmont native and former WVU commit – committed 12 turnovers and fouled out. Washenitz scored two points, both of which came via free throws.

WVU’s trio of JJ Quinerly, Kyah Watson and Lauren Fields accounted for 60 of the team’s 71 points (85.5%). Fields led all scorers with 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting with five three-pointers.

Watson recorded 19 points with 12 rebounds on 9-of-15 shooting. It was her third double-double as a Mountaineer after transferring from South Dakota before the 2022-23 season. She also had a team-high +16 plus-minus.

Quinerly added 18 points with three rebounds and three steals. Fields also contributed three steals, but Stephen F. Austin transfer Jordan Harrison led the team with seven steals. She also tallied 10 assists and six rebounds.

The Mountaineers return home for their Hoops for the Troops game next Sunday against Youngstown State at the WVU Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. ET.