Mar 22, 2025
West Virginia’s JJ Quinerly addresses the media during the NCAA college Big 12 women’s basketball media day, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — There is one but one accomplishment left for J.J. Quinerly.
The WVU senior guard already has her name scattered throughout the school’s record book.
Big 12 recognition? Quinerly is a three-time all-league first-team player.
In the history of WVU women’s hoops, Quinerly is the only player to reach 1,900 points, 400 rebounds and 300 assists.
What’s left?
“It would be great to get her to the Sweet 16,” WVU forward Kyah Watson said. “I mean, she’s been here for four years. She’s accomplished so much. She’s been our leader. Getting to the Sweet 16 would be a great way to go out.”
The last steps taken in Quinerly’s college journey begins at 2 p.m. Saturday, when the sixth-seeded Mountaineers (24-7) take on 11th-seeded Columbia (24-6) in the first round of the NCAA tournament inside Carmichael Arena. Columbia beat Washington 63-60 in a play-in game Thursday night.
It will be the second consecutive season the Mountaineers have opened the NCAA tournament against an Ivy League school.
WVU beat Princeton, 63-53, a year ago.
One more loss, and one of the greatest women’s basketball careers at WVU will be over.
“I’m not thinking about no losses right now,” Quinerly fires back. “I’m going for straight wins.”
WVU is 1-2 in the NCAAs since Quinerly arrived on campus from Norfolk, Va. four years ago.
In those four years, the Mountaineers climbed from a middle-of-the pack team in the Big 12 to a conference contender.
Yet there hasn’t been much postseason success to speak of for Quinerly or the Mountaineers.
The last time WVU played in a Sweet 16 (1992), there were only 48 teams in the tournament and Quinerly wasn’t even born yet.
“If we want to do something special, now is the time to do it,” WVU head coach Mark Kellogg said. “We certainly have the opportunity to leave a mark that hasn’t been done around here for a long long time.”
If WVU is to leave that mark, it will likely be Quinerly putting the stamp on it.
She’ll enter today’s game as the school’s fourth-leading scorer with 1,981 points and needs 21 to pass Bria Holmes for third place.
Quinerly is also third on the school’s all-time steals list with 320.
Yet she would gladly give up the points and steals for a few more wins in the NCAA tournament.
“You just have to take each game at a time,” Quinerly said. “To keep going, you’ve got to advance. You can’t worry about outside things that you can’t control. You just have to play each game and see what happens.”
What’s been happening lately for the Mountaineers is Quinerly filling up the scoreboard and WVU following her lead.
She’s gone four consecutive games with at least 20 points.
In last week’s Big 12 tournament, Quinerly led the Mountaineers to the semifinals with 24 points against Kansas State.
She scored 20 in the semifinal loss against No. 6 TCU.
To end the regular season, Quinerly tied a school record with 38 points against Utah and followed that up with 31 points against Cincinnati.
“I don’t know that we’ll talk much,” Kellogg said. “She’s been in the proverbial zone lately and on that heater. I like where she’s at.
“I don’t think there’s too much we have to say to her. At this time of year, seniors understand the assignment. I think J.J. certainly understands it.”
The winner of today’s game advances to the second round on Monday to play the winner of No. 3 seed North Carolina and 14th-seeded Oregon State.
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