Davenport’s Double-Double Leads WVU Past Iowa State

Sunday, January 7

Morgantown, W.Va

2:00 p.m.

West Virginia University

14-2/2-2

Iowa State

7-8/1-3

Iowa State

West Virginia

Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks

January 07, 2018 05:20 PM | Women's Basketball

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By: Ashley Bailey

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Behind a double-double from junior guard Naomi Davenport, the No. 12/11 West Virginia University women's basketball team got back to its winning ways with a 57-49 victory over visiting Iowa State on Sunday afternoon at the WVU Coliseum.

Davenport scored a game-high 23 points and added 13 rebounds to help the Mountaineers hang on for the win and snap a two-game losing skid.

WVU led by as many as 15 in the second half but were forced to fight off multiple comeback efforts by the Cyclones in the fourth quarter. Still, the Mountaineers were able to seal the deal and get back to .500 in conference play.

Points were at a premium early on in the Big 12 tilt after both teams endured a chilly start offensively. WVU made just 4 of its first 17 shots from the field, while Iowa State went just 5-of-20 from the field in the opening 10 minutes, including 0-of-8 from beyond the arc.

"We're just way out of sync," said WVU coach Mike Carey. "It's good to see (senior forward) Kristina King in there some. It's good to see (junior guard) Naomi (Davenport) start scoring a little bit, so we'll just keep fighting, keep trying to get better."

Still, the Mountaineers (14-2, 2-2) were able to grab an early lead, thanks in part to freshman guard Ashley Jones' steal and dish to senior forward Teana Muldrow for an easy layup to put WVU ahead, 10-4. From there, Iowa State (7-8, 1-3) went on a 6-0 run to tie the game, before senior guard Chania Ray was able to get a shot to fall from the elbow to give the Mountaineers a 12-10 after one.

In the second quarter, redshirt junior Theresa Ekhelar and Ray teamed up to score back-to-back baskets to push WVU's lead to eight with 2:58 to play in the first half. The duo was part of an 8-0 Mountaineer run.

Then, WVU closed the half with a pair of 3-pointers by Davenport and junior guard Katrina Pardee, sending the Mountaineers into the locker room with a 26-14 lead.

Davenport led WVU with 11 points at the break.

Defensively, WVU held Iowa State without a 3-pointer until the 6:27 mark of the third quarter. The Mountaineers also forced nine first-half turnovers and didn't allow a Cyclone point for nearly five minutes during a spurt in the second quarter. In all, Iowa State shot just 19 percent as a team in the first half.

The Mountaineers began the second half by scoring five of the first seven points of the third quarter. Pardee picked up where she left off at the end of the first half, banking in a 3 to help extend WVU's advantage. Then, Ray got a jumper to go, vaulting WVU to a 31-16 cushion.

Ray finished with 13 points for the Mountaineers to go along with eight rebounds and two assists.

Later on with the lead down to eight, Ray found Muldrow in the paint for a score, bumping the Mountaineers' lead back to double figures with 1:24 to play in the frame. Still, WVU led by just seven heading into the fourth quarter.

Early fourth-quarter baskets by Davenport and a 3-pointer by Ray made it a 10-point game again with 8:37 to play, but the Cyclones simply wouldn't go away. Triggered by a timely 7-0 run, Iowa State was able to get within one of the lead with 6:35 to go.

However, the Mountaineers again had an answer. Davenport, who finished the game with a team-high three steals, scored on the offensive end before forcing a turnover and finding Muldrow for another bucket at the 5:05 mark. That made it a 47-41 game before another last-ditch effort by Iowa State.

The Cyclones got to within two with two minutes to play but couldn't claw any closer as the Mountaineers closed the game out at the free throw line.

WVU shot just 17-of-58 (29.3%) from the floor in the win, the team's lowest shooting output of the season. But the Mountaineers largely got the job done on the defensive end, holding the Cyclones to 17-of-66 (25.8%) from the field and forcing 17 turnovers. WVU won the rebounding battle, 50-48, and went 19-of-29 at the charity stripe.

Along with Davenport and Ray, Muldrow added nine points and 14 rebounds in the win. For Iowa State, Bridget Carleton led the way with 14 points.

The Mountaineers are back in action on Wednesday, Jan. 10, when the team travels to Kansas. Tipoff in Lawrence is set for 8 p.m. ET.

Notes: With the win, WVU improved to 8-4 all-time against Iowa State … the victory snapped a two-game losing streak against the Cyclones … senior forward Kristina King returned to the lineup for the first time since suffering an injury on Dec. 16 vs. Radford … WVU allowed just four second-quarter points, tying a program low for one period … Naomi Davenport recorded her fourth career double-double … Davenport also led the Mountaineers in scoring for the fourth time this season … Teana Muldrow led WVU with 14 rebounds, the ninth time this season and 38th time in her career she has led the team in the category … Davenport set a new career high in made free throws (10) and free throw attempts (14) … WVU held Iowa State to just 49 the points, the lowest it has allowed to a Big 12 opponent since Feb. 27, 2016 vs. Oklahoma State (48) … WVU shot 29.3 percent from the field as a team, the lowest output in a victory since shooting 26.5 percent on Jan. 12, 2014 vs. Texas.