MORGANTOWN — West Virginia women’s basketball’s brand of basketball is built around its defense. It’s pressing in the backcourt, picking pockets and making sure the opposing offense doesn’t take a break. In the past couple of games, WVU’s defense was tested, and it has aced the test, whether in a win or a loss.
WVU held TCU, who has the third-best offense in the Big 12, averaging 81 points per game, to just 51 points. Then, in the last outing, WVU won another defensive battle against Arizona State, holding that offense to just 43 points and no free throws.
The Mountaineers have really needed the defense to keep them in games because the offense has been inconsistent. WVU shot 28% against the Horned Frogs and 34% against the Sun Devils. TCU and Arizona State were two really good defensive teams, but there were opportunities against the Sun Devils for easy 3-pointers. WVU just missed the mark.
“We’ve taken some steps defensively the last couple of home games,” head coach Mark Kellogg said. “To hold TCU to 51, I think, and then that team to 43, that’s pretty legit. That should give you a chance to win even on a night offensively where you’re not particularly good.”
After TCU and Arizona State, the stretch of defensive games doesn’t stop, and they are expected to have another tough outing in Utah to remain perfect on the road. The 16-4 Mountaineers head to Provo to face BYU on Saturday for a late 9:30 p.m. body clock game, hoping for their seventh Big 12 win. The Cougars, like TCU and Arizona State, have won a lot of games this season and are 15-4 on the season and 4-3 in the conference.
BYU is another strong defensive squad and has the sixth-best unit in the Big 12. TCU is the best, and Arizona State was fourth for reference.
BYU’s defensive strength is defending the perimeter, which isn’t ideal for WVU because the Mountaineers have struggled shooting the 3-pointer recently. WVU made just one 3-pointer against TCU, three against Cincinatti and were 6-for-26 against Arizona State.
WVU will have to rely on the interior play to score. The Mountaineers have leaned on forward Kierra Wheeler, who’s been the leading scorer the past two games. Wheeler had 16 points and seven rebounds against Arizona State.
BYU has some scorers of its own and is a middle-of-the-road offensive team in the Big 12. But the Cougars are coming off one of their best games of the season, knocking off No. 19 Texas Tech at home, and scored 73 points in the process.
Canadian star sophomore guard Delaney Gibb is BYU’s ace. She had 18 points against the Red Raiders and averages 17 points per game on the season, which is seventh in the conference. Gibb isn’t very big at 5-foot-10, but she has high-level experience, winning a bronze medal with the Canadian Senior National Team at the 2025 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup.
German native forward Lara Rohkohl has made a big impact since transferring from the College of Charleston in the offseason. The 6-foot-3 forward grabs an average of 7.7 rebounds and almost two blocks per game. She’ll be tough to get through for WVU.
But the Mountaineers are prepared to slow the two down defensively. Two of the past three games have been physical defensive matchups. Against Arizona State, there were elbows flying and bodies hitting the floor. There’s a photo of guard Gia Cooke in almost a headlock from a Sun Devils player on her way to the basket.
The trip to BYU might be similar, just joining the long stretch of physical games for Kellogg’s ranked team.
“We’ve had a gauntlet,” Kellogg said. “It won’t get any easier moving forward.”
