MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — LaQuita Owens scored a season-high 23 points and No. 12 West Virginia used a 21-4 second-half run to beat No. 4 Rutgers, 63-54, last night, ending the Scarlet Knights' 12-game winning streak.

Sparkle Davis added 14 points for West Virginia (17-3, 6-1 Big East), which earned its first win over a top-5 opponent without the help of its top two scorers.

Rutgers (17-3 7-1) was knocked out of first place and suffered its worst loss of the season in the first game of its toughest stretch. The Scarlet Knights also have road games at No. 14 Pittsburgh and No. 2 Tennessee sandwiched around a home game with top-ranked Connecticut in the next two weeks. UConn and Pittsburgh now share the lead with 6-0 conference records.

Kia Vaughn and Matee Ajavon had 12 points apiece for Rutgers, while Epiphanny Prince and Essence Carson scored 11 each.

Rutgers shot 53 percent (10-of-19) from the floor in the first half and built a 10-point lead just after halftime. But the Scarlet Knights couldn't keep up the pace, going more than six minutes without a field goal.

Owens scored 10 consecutive points for West Virginia after halftime, and freshman Liz Repella had all eight of her points off the bench in a 1:28 span during the key run that put the Mountaineers ahead 43-36 midway through the second half.

Davis' two free throws gave the Mountaineers a 53-44 lead with 4:49 left and Rutgers got no closer than four thereafter.