2022–23 West Virginia Mountaineers women's basketball team

2022–23 West Virginia Mountaineers women's basketball
NCAA Tournament, First Round
ConferenceBig 12 Conference
Record19–12 (10–8 Big 12)
Head coach
Associate head coachJason Jeschke (1st season)
Assistant coaches
  • Aaron Horn (1st season)
  • Ariel Braker (1st season)
Home arenaWVU Coliseum
Seasons
2022–23 Big 12 Conference women's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 15 Texas 14 – 4   .778 26 – 10   .722
No. 16 Oklahoma 14 – 4   .778 26 – 7   .788
No. 17 Iowa State† 11 – 7   .611 22 – 10   .688
Oklahoma State 10 – 8   .556 21 – 12   .636
West Virginia 10 – 8   .556 19 – 12   .613
Baylor 10 – 8   .556 20 – 13   .606
Kansas 9 – 9   .500 22 – 11   .667
Texas Tech 6 – 12   .333 20 – 15   .571
Kansas State 5 – 13   .278 19 – 16   .543
TCU 1 – 17   .056 8 – 23   .258
† 2023 Big 12 Tournament winner
As of March 24, 2023
Rankings from AP poll

The 2022–23 West Virginia Mountaineers women's basketball team represented West Virginia University during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Mountaineers, led by first-year head coach Dawn Plitzuweit, played their home games at WVU Coliseum and are members of the Big 12 Conference.

Previous season

The Mountaineers finished the season 15–15, 7–11 in Big 12 play to finish in seventh place. In the Big 12 Tournament, they defeated TCU in the first round, before losing to Iowa State in the quarterfinals. They were not invited to the NCAA tournament or the WNIT.

Offseason

Departures

West Virginia Departures
Name Number Pos. Height Year Hometown Reason for Departure
Kristen Deans 3 G 5'8" Junior Greensboro, NC Transferred to Florida
Jasmine Carson 5 G 5'10" Senior Memphis, TN Graduate transferred to LSU
Esmery Martínez 12 F 6'2" Junior Hato Mayor del Rey, DR Transferred to Arizona
Kari Niblack 14 F 6'1" Senior Leesburg, FL Graduate transferred to Georgia
Yemiyah Morris 20 C 6'6" GS Senior San Bernardino, CA Graduated
Blessing Ejiofor 22 C 6'5" GS Senior Ebonyi, Nigeria Graduated
Jeanna Cunningham 33 C 6'4" Sophomore Brentwood, NY Transferred to Alabama

Incoming

West Virginia Incoming Transfers
Name Num Pos. Height Year Hometown Previous School
Sarah Bates 3 G 5'9" GS Senior McDonough, GA Georgia Tech
Danni Nichols 4 G 5'10" GS Senior Columbia, MO Western Illinois
Kylee Blacksten 14 G 6'3" Sophomore Colorado Springs, CO Colorado
Tavy Diggs 21 G 6'1" Senior Richardson, TX TCU
Kyah Watson 32 G 5'10" Redshirt Sophomore Rapid City, SD South Dakota

Recruiting

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Imarianah Russell
G 		Dublin, OH Reynoldsburg High School 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) N/A  
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 91
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2023 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2023.

Recruiting class of 2023

College recruiting information (2023)
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Grace Grocholski
G 		Kettle, WI Kettle Moraine High School 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) N/A  
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 91
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

2022–23 West Virginia Mountaineers women's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Year Previous school Hometown
G 00 Jayla Hemingway 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) Sr Houston
Mississippi State 		Collierville, TN
G 2 Wynter Rogers 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) RS Fr Little Rock Christian Academy Little Rock, AR
G 3 Sarah Bates 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) GS Clovis West
Georgia Tech 		Fresno, CA
G 4 Danni Nichols 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) GS David H. Hickman
Western Illinois 		Columbia, MO
G 5 Imarianah Russell 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Fr Reynoldsburg Columbus, OH
G 11 JJ Quinerly 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) So Lake Taylor Norfolk, VA
F 13 Messiah Hunter 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) RS Fr TPLS Christian Academy Hopewell, VA
F 14 Kylee Blacksten 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Jr Air Academy
Colorado 		Colorado Springs, CO
F 21 Tavy Diggs 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Sr Plano East
TCU 		Richardson, TX
F 23 Isis Beh 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) RS So Murray
Salt Lake City CC 		Murray, UT
G 24 Savannah Samuel 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Jr St. Francis HS
Oregon State 		Woodstock, GA
G 30 Madisen Smith 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) GS Greenville Senior Greenville, SC
G 32 Kyah Watson 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) RS So Stevens Rapid City, SD
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Source:[1]

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 30, 2022*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Fairmont State W 83–49 
 14 – Hemingway   5 – Samuel   3 – Rogers  WVU Coliseum 
Morgantown, WV
Non-conference regular season
November 10, 2022*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		USC Upstate W 81–31  1–0
  19 – Quinerly   7 – Watson   3 – Watson  WVU Coliseum (1,484)
Morgantown, WV
November 17, 2022*
10:00 a.m., ESPN+ 		Winthrop W 70–48  2–0
  15 – Smith   6 – Blacksten   3 – Tied  WVU Coliseum (6,640)
Morgantown, WV
November 20, 2022*
1:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Appalachian State W 72–51  3–0
  18 – Blacksten   9 – Hemingway   8 – Smith  WVU Coliseum (1,611)
Morgantown, WV
November 24, 2022*
6:30 p.m., FloSports 		vs. Central Michigan
Cancún Challenge 		W 64–33  4–0
  12 – Smith   8 – Diggs   6 – Watson  Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya (131)
Cancún, Mexico
November 25, 2022*
4:00 p.m., FloSports 		vs. No. 13 NC State
Cancún Challenge 		L 40–78  4–1
  16 – Quinerly   7 – Watson   1 – Quinerly  Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya (107)
Cancún, Mexico
November 30, 2022*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		North Carolina Central W 89–58  5–1
  20 – Smith   9 – Tied   4 – Tied  WVU Coliseum (1,094)
Morgantown, WV
December 3, 2022*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Delaware State W 63–47  6–1
  24 – Smith   9 – Tied   5 – Watso  WVU Coliseum (1,352)
Morgantown, WV
December 8, 2022*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Robert Morris W 72–42  7–1
  16 – Watson   11 – Hemingway   7 – Nichols  WVU Coliseum (1,685)
Morgantown, WV
December 11, 2022*
4:00 p.m., BTN+ 		at Penn State L 57–69  7–2
  16 – Quinerly   7 – Watson   4 – Smith  Bryce Jordan Center (2,218)
University Park, PA
December 20, 2022*
2:30 p.m. 		vs. Georgia
West Palm Beach Invitational 		W 49–45  8–2
  13 – Nichols   10 – Diggs   3 – Nichols  Massimino Court (605)
West Palm Beach, FL
December 21, 2022*
12:00 p.m. 		vs. Miami (OH)
West Palm Beach Invitational 		W 82–51  9–2
  17 – Nichols   7 – Watson   5 – Quinerly  Massimino Court 
West Palm Beach, FL
Big 12 regular season
December 31, 2022
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 20 Oklahoma L 77–98  9–3
(0–1) 		 28 – Quinerly   10 – Blacksten   5 – Smith  WVU Coliseum (2,280)
Morgantown, WV
January 4, 2023
7:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		at No. 17 Iowa State L 50–70  9–4
(0–2) 		 16 – Quinerly   7 – Watson   3 – Quinerly  Hilton Coliseum (9,044)
Ames, IA
January 7, 2023
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Kansas State W 77–70  10–4
(1–2) 		 22 – Quinerly   9 – Blacksten   4 – Smith  Bramlage Coliseum (5,022)
Manhattan, KS
January 10, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		TCU W 77–45  11–4
(2–2) 		 18 – Smith   8 – Hemingway   8 – Smith  WVU Coliseum (1,267)
Morgantown, WV
January 15, 2023
3:00 p.m., ESPNU 		No. 18 Baylor W 74–65  12–4
(3–2) 		 18 – Quinerly   14 – Hemingway   4 – Smith  WVU Coliseum (2,702)
Morgantown, WV
January 18, 2023
8:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Kansas L 58–77  12–5
(3–3) 		 13 – Blacksten   6 – Tied   4 – Quinerly  Allen Fieldhouse (2,037)
Lawrence, KS
January 21, 2023
1:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Texas Tech W 67–57  13–5
(4–3) 		 18 – Hemingway   10 – Tied   6 – Smith  WVU Coliseum (2,710)
Morgantown, WV
January 28, 2023
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at TCU W 62–55  14–5
(5–3) 		 23 – Quinerly   7 – Tied   4 – Tied  Schollmaier Arena (2,314)
Fort Worth, TX
February 1, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 24 Texas L 56–69  14–6
(5–4) 		 12 – Bates   5 – Watson   1 – Tied  WVU Coliseum (1,651)
Morgantown, WV
February 4, 2023
3:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at No. 20 Oklahoma L 68–93  14–7
(5–5) 		 24 – Quinerly   5 – Tied   2 – Bates  Lloyd Noble Center (4,179)
Norman, OK
February 7, 2023
7:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Oklahoma State L 68–93  14–8
(5–6) 		 18 – Quinerly   4 – Blacksten   5 – Smith  Gallagher-Iba Arena (2,036)
Stillwater, OK
February 11, 2023
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 21 Iowa State W 73–60  15–8
(6–6) 		 20 – Quinerly   12 – Tied   4 – Hemingway  WVU Coliseum (2,587)
Morgantown, WV
February 15, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Kansas W 62–60  16–8
(7–6) 		 17 – Smith   7 – Beh   7 – Smith  WVU Coliseum (1,557)
Morgantown, WV
February 19, 2023
4:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at No. 17 Texas L 48–74  16–9
(7–7) 		 16 – Quinerly   7 – Hemingway   2 – Tied  Moody Center (6,023)
Austin, TX
February 22, 2023
8:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Texas Tech L 68–69 2OT 16–10
(7–8) 		 21 – Quinerly   12 – Watson   3 – Tied  United Supermarkets Arena (3,711)
Lubbock, TX
February 25, 2023
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Kansas State W 67–58  17–10
(8–8) 		 20 – Smith   6 – Smith   2 – Tied  WVU Coliseum (2,425)
Morgantown, WV
March 1, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Oklahoma State W 71–67  18–10
(9–8) 		 22 – Smith   6 – Quinery   4 – Watson  WVU Coliseum (1,952)
Morgantown, WV
March 4, 2023
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Baylor W 63–52  19–10
(10–8) 		 30 – Smith   8 – Tied   7 – Smith  Ferrell Center (4,357)
Waco, TX
Big 12 Tournament
March 10, 2023
1:00 p.m., ESPNU 		(5) vs. (4) Oklahoma State
Quarterfinals 		L 61–62  19–11
  23 – Smith   6 – Tied   4 – Quinerly  Municipal Auditorium 
Kansas City, MO
NCAA Tournament
March 17, 2023*
12:00 p.m., ESPN 		(10 G1) vs. (7 G1) No. 25 Arizona
First Round 		L 62–75  19–12
  19 – Quinerly   8 – Tied   4 – Smith  Xfinity Center 
College Park, MD
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
G1=Greenville 1.
All times are in Central Time.

Rankings

Main article: 2022–23 NCAA Division I women's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP———————————RV—————
Coaches——*———————————————

The Coaches Poll did not release a Week 2 poll and the AP Poll did not release a poll after the NCAA Tournament.

References

  1. ^ "2022-23 Women's Basketball Schedule". wvusports.com. West Virginia University Athletics. Retrieved February 20, 2023.