While classes in Austin were canceled because of icy conditions, No. 24 Texas women’s basketball traveled to West Virginia to take on the Mountaineers Wednesday night. Texas moved back into the rankings after a three game win streak, which extended to four with a 69-56 win over West Virginia. 

Ranked first in the Big 12, the Longhorns got off to a hot 13-2 lead midway through the first quarter. Texas dictated the pace of the game early by capitalizing on fast transitions of defensive rebounds to quick shots. 

West Virginia was able to find its rhythm after a slow start, finishing the first quarter on a 6-0 run to cut Texas’ lead to five after trailing by 10 multiple times in the quarter. 

Graduate guard Shaylee Gonzales led scoring for Texas early, putting away 10 points and dishing out four assists in the first half. 

Both team’s strong defenses showed, with Texas forcing 10 first half turnovers and West Virginia forcing 13 of its own. 

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While sophomore guard Rori Harmon was not very productive on offense in the first half, the Nancy Lieberman Award Midseason Top 10 selection showed her defensive skill, stealing the ball three times. Harmon also hauled in a team high of five rebounds in the first half. 

Texas’ defense held West Virginia to only 8 points in the second quarter, the 16th time they have held an opponent to less than 10 points in a quarter. Texas was able to transition defense into offense, scoring 13 points off turnovers. 

Strong defense led both teams to struggle with shooting early, Texas shooting 42% and West Virginia shooting 32% from the field in the first half. 

Texas came out swinging in the third quarter, led by graduate guard Sonya Morris, who tallied 10 third-quarter points with two three pointers. Morris is the Longhorn’s most productive 3-point shooter, making over 40% of her attempts. 

West Virginia stormed back, cutting Texas’ lead to three, with 20 bench points led by guard Sarah Bates, who contributed 12. The Mountaineers finished the third quarter on a 8-0 run.

Junior forward Taylor Jones stayed hot following her near-perfect performance against Oklahoma State, scoring 12 points but getting into foul trouble early in the fourth quarter. 

Texas had four players finish the game in double figures, including Gonzales, who has now scored in double figures in seven straight games. After a slow offensive start, Harmon scored 14 points with six rebounds and six assists. Morris led all players in scoring with 17 points. 

With the win, Texas remains on top of the Big 12 standings and improves to 17–6 on the season. Texas looks to extend its win streak to five Saturday against Kansas in Lawrence.