West Virginia guard JJ Quinerly speeds along the baseline during a game earlier this season. (Photo by Kevin Kinder/BlueGoldNews.com)

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Call this truth in newspapering, if you will.

When they tipped the ball off for what had been billed a contest of basketball skill in Lubbock, Texas, between the No. 17-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers and the homestanding Texas Tech Lady Raiders, the reporting game plan was to dissect the visiting Mountaineers’ defense.

After a cursory study of the two teams, it became obvious that Texas Tech did not belong on the same basketball court, but that happens sometimes in any sport. Knowing that WVU’s defense would be dominant, it having strengths in areas where Texas Tech possessed weaknesses, copious notes were being detailed on each defensive possession.

You will not find that here, however, as the plan was dropped one quarter into the game as we began running out of paper to keep notes on what would become a staggeringly impressive 89-53 for WVU and an equally embarrassing mismatch for Texas Tech.

It became glaring obvious that Tech could not keep up with West Virginia’s speed, skill or attitude.

“We wanted to be somewhat disruptive. That’s kind of the style we play,” Coach Mark Kellogg said in his post-game analysis. “We talk about playing complete games. Outside of the third quarter I thought that was for the most part as complete and efficient as we have been.”

The Mountaineers, who should be undefeated in Big 12 play but for giving up a 16-point lead at Colorado in the conference opener, now have three straight league triumphs but there is nothing really on the resume like this 36-point advantage.

We begin with defense, for it immediately set the tone for the evening as WVU scored 24 of the game’s first 28 points and ended that first quarter with a 24-8 lead.

A full 13 of their 24 points came off turnovers, of which they forced 4 in the period. It wasn’t a matter of one player like the point guard being overmatched. They all were as 7 different Texas Tech players turned the ball over in the first quarter.

And when Texas Tech was asked to play defense, they acted as if they had not yet introduced that into their practices. They simply could not cover WVU’s two top quality guards in JJ Quinerly and Jordan Harrison.

Quinerly, the All-American, pushed the envelope of perfection as she scored 21 points for the evening 21 points on 7 of 9 shooting and 7 of 7 from the free throw line. She added seven steals and four assists on what was her finest moment of the year.

The same can be said of Harrison, who came into the game with some concern over an ankle injury. The only ankles that hurt on this night, though, were attaching the feet to the legs of those trying to defend here as she scored 20 points, so quick that Texas Tech had to foul her to stop her.

Proved to be a bad idea as she finished 12 for 12 at the free throw line.

In fact, WVU hit its first 24 free throw attempts of the game before missing, finishing with 28 of 31.

So, they wound up shooting a season-high 50.9% from the floor with 28 of 55 field goals to go with the 28 of 31 free throws.

“I think this team is kind of relentless,” JJ Quinerly said. “When we are on the court we are going to play as hard as we can and our defense leads to our offense.”

It almost was a case of the Mountaineers doing whatever they wanted to do as five of them finished in double figures, Sydney Shaw almost making it 3 with 20 points as she made 8 of 10 shots and had 19 points while Kylee Blacksten and Celia Riviere each scored 10.

After Texas Tech made a third quarter bid for respectability outscoring their 17-point first half with 24 third quarter points, WVU slammed the door in their face in the fourth quarter with a 23-12 quarter that was done mostly without anything from either Quinerly and Harrison.

Quinerly did not score or take a shot in the fourth quarter while Harrison made one field goal in her two shots.