CANCUN, Mexico – The No. 23 West Virginia University women's basketball team (4-1, 0-0 Big 12) suffered its first loss of the season on Thursday evening, as the Mountaineers fell to Creighton, 82-75, at the Hard Rock Resort Riviera Maya in Cancun.
 
Redshirt senior guard Tynice Martin led WVU in scoring, with 19 points. Freshman guard Kirsten Deans (14) and redshirt junior guard Kysre Gondrezick (12) also turned in double-figures scoring performances.
 
After the Bluejays jumped out to an early, Martin put the Mountaineers on the board with a three-pointer that reclaimed the lead. Martin scored the next four points for WVU, before freshman forward Esmery Martinez added two more on a putback layup. Martin added four more points at the halfway point of the first quarter to put her into double figures. Gondrezick and redshirt freshman center Rochelle Norris further added to the Mountaineer lead, as they each converted two points at the free-throw line. Gondrezick and Deans sank back-to-back shots from behind the arc, as the Mountaineers led Creighton by eight at the end of the first quarter.
 
Creighton sank a three-pointer to begin the second but redshirt junior guard Arleighshya McElroy countered with a fast-break layup. Norris added another fast-break bucket off an assist from Deans, before sophomore guard Madisen Smith added a pair of three-pointers to give the Mountaineers an 11-point lead mid-way through the second quarter. Creighton then went on 14-2 run to close out the half and led the Mountaineers 43-41 at the break.
 
Sophomore forward Kari Niblack opened third-quarter scoring for WVU with a pair of layups, but Creighton sustained its lead as they added 12 points to their lead through the first five minutes of the second half. A three-pointer from Gondrezick and a pair of jumpers from Martin cut the lead to four, but the Bluejays outscored the Mountaineers by seven in the third quarter. West Virginia trailed Creighton 63-54 heading into the final quarter of play.
 
Gondrezick hit her third three-pointer of the game two minutes into the fourth quarter before Niblack and Martinez each scored a layup to cut the Creighton lead to 11. Deans added ten points of her own in the fourth quarter, but the Bluejays kept the Mountaineers at bay to claim the victory.
 
West Virginia shot 26-of-66 (39.4%) from the field, including 8-of-22 (36.4%) from behind the arc. The Mountaineers held the advantage in turnovers (16-17), second-chance points (13-11) and bench points (23-8). Martin led the rebounding effort, posting nine boards, while Gondrezick turned in a team-high three steals. Martin also led the team with four assists, and Niblack posted three blocks.
 
Creighton finished 30-of-60 (50.0%) from the field, including 13-of-26 (50.0%) from three-point range. Jaylyn Agnew led all scorers with 34 points, while Tatum Rembao led the Bluejays on the glass with nine rebounds. Rembao also posted 10 assists for CU.
 
West Virginia continues play at the Cancun Challenge tomorrow, as the Mountaineers are set to take on New Mexico at 4 p.m. ET.