Skylar Forbes Scores 23 and Gia Cooke 20 as No. 24 West Virginia Leads Georgia Tech Start to Finish in 81-63 Win

Photo: West Virginia Athletics. Skylar Forbes, official roster photo. Card design: The Dyme.

FINAL, McCamish Pavilion, Atlanta: No. 24 West Virginia 81, Georgia Tech 63.

Skylar Forbes scored 23 points and Gia Cooke scored 20 as West Virginia led from start to finish. Georgia Tech never tied the game or took the lead, according to West Virginia's school recap, which says the Mountaineers held a double-digit lead from late in the first quarter on and the Yellow Jackets never got within single digits. West Virginia shot 30 of 62 (48.4 percent) and made 9 of 22 threes.

Forbes went 8 of 21 with 3 of 10 from three and 4 of 4 at the line, and added seven rebounds and four assists. Cooke shot 6 of 14, made 3 of 4 threes and went 5 of 6 at the line. Forbes and Cooke combined for 43 of West Virginia's 81 points, by our count, on 14-of-35 shooting.

Kennedy Harris scored 11 on 4-of-5 shooting with three threes. The Dominion Post reported she had five combined points in the first two games. Khyala Ngodu had nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Divine Tumba scored 10 off the bench on 5-of-7 shooting. Zahirah Walton had five points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals.

How the lead built

West Virginia led 27-16 after the first quarter, with Cooke scoring nine and Harris eight, per the AP. Forbes scored seven in the second quarter and the Mountaineers led 43-30 at halftime. In the third quarter, Forbes scored half of West Virginia's 24 points, and the lead was 67-45 going to the fourth. West Virginia's largest lead was 28, early in the fourth quarter, according to the Dominion Post.

Turnovers and the paint

Georgia Tech turned the ball over 19 times and West Virginia scored 15 points off those turnovers. West Virginia had 13 steals and 14 turnovers of its own. The Mountaineers outrebounded Georgia Tech 37-28, with 14 offensive rebounds that led to 23 second-chance points, per the AP, and won the paint 42-26.

Georgia Tech had one more assist (21 to 20) and made 7 of 20 threes. It also made 6 of 8 free throws to West Virginia's 12 of 16. By our count, West Virginia made 21 of 40 two-point tries (42 points) to Georgia Tech's 18 of 39 (36 points), and the Mountaineers made two more threes (27 points to 21).

Georgia Tech's side

Talayah Walker scored 21 on 7-of-20 shooting, and only two of those points came in the second half, according to the Dominion Post. Ariadna Termis scored 14 on 6-of-8 shooting. The Dominion Post noted she entered the game without a basket this season. Erica Moon had eight assists.

What it means

West Virginia is 3-0 and meets Northwestern on Friday, Nov. 13, at 5:30 p.m. ET in the Greenbrier Tip-Off in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, on CBS Sports Network. Georgia Tech (2-1) hosts Maryland Eastern Shore on Thursday.

Sources

• ESPN box score, game 401907165. Final West Virginia 81, Georgia Tech 63. Quarters WVU 27-16-24-14, GT 16-14-15-18. WVU 30-62 FG, 9-22 3PT, 12-16 FT, 37 reb (14 off), 14 TO, 13 stl, 42 paint, 20 ast, 15 pts off TO, largest lead 28. GT 25-59 FG, 7-20 3PT, 6-8 FT, 28 reb, 19 TO, 10 stl, 26 paint, 21 ast. Forbes 23 pts 8-21 FG 3-10 3PT 4-4 FT 7 reb 4 ast. Cooke 20, 6-14, 3-4 3PT, 5-6 FT. Harris 11, 4-5, 3-4 3PT. Ngodu 9 pts 10 reb. Tumba 10, 5-7. Walton 5 pts 6 reb 5 ast 3 stl. Walker 21, 7-20 FG. Termis 14, 6-8 FG. Moon 8 ast.
• ESPN / Associated Press recap. Nov 8, 2026. Cooke 9 and Harris 8 in a 27-16 first quarter. Forbes 7 in the second. 43-30 half. Forbes scored half of WVU 24 third-quarter points. 67-45. 14 offensive boards led to 23 second-chance points. 42-26 in the paint. WVU hosts Northwestern Friday. Georgia Tech hosts Maryland Eastern Shore Thursday.
• West Virginia Athletics recap. Nov 8, 2026. Opened on a 10-2 run. Led the entire game. no lead change or tie. Double-digit lead with two minutes left in first quarter and never allowed Georgia Tech within single digits after. 19 turnovers into 15 points. Greenbrier Tip-Off vs Northwestern Fri Nov 13, 5:30 p.m. ET, CBSSN. Note: school lists four blocks for Ngodu. ESPN and Dominion Post list three, draft omits blocks.
• The Dominion Post, Justin Jackson. Nov 8, 2026. Largest lead 28 early in the fourth. Harris five combined points over first two games. Walker only two second-half points. Termis entered without a basket this season. Full box score matches ESPN (30-62, 9-22, 12-16. GT 25-59, 7-20, 6-8). Attendance 2,875.
• Photo: West Virginia Athletics official roster photo of Skylar Forbes, used inside the Dyme card.