No. 21 WVU Meets Fairfield for First Time
November 28, 2014 01:39 PM | General
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 22/21-ranked West Virginia University women’s basketball team hosts Fairfield for the first time on Saturday, November 29 at the WVU Coliseum. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
Tickets are available online at WVUGAME.com or by calling 1-800-WVU GAME. Jeff Culhane will call Saturday’s contest on WLRF 94.3 FM/WTCS 1490 AM and online at WVUsports.com. A free live video stream will also be available at WVUsports.com.
West Virginia (3-1) picked up an 83-39 win over Evansville on Wednesday. The Mountaineers’ 62 rebounds were the most for a WVU team in a single game since 1994, as West Virginia rolled to its 11th straight win inside the Coliseum. The win streak, which started in last season’s win overtime win over Texas, is the fifth longest in program history.
Junior guard Bria Holmes posted 32 points in the victory, while senior Crystal Leary eclipsed a new career-high 14 points.
Holmes is averaging 27.3 points per contest, which leads the Big 12 and is fifth nationally.
Leary leads the team with 8.3 boards per game. Guard Linda Stepney has handed out five or more assists in the past three games. Her 5.3 assists average is fourth in the league and in the NCAA top-50.
As of Friday, the Mountaineers are sixth in the NCAA with 6.8 blocked shots each game and are 27th with a field goal percentage defense of 32.7. WVU is averaging 75.0 points in its first four games, holding opponents to an average of 60.8.
“We just need to play our style of defense like Coach Carey wants us to,” said Holmes. “After our loss at Mississippi State, we came into practice with a different mindset about everything. We worked on box outs and worked hard on defense.”
Fairfield (1-4) and WVU meet for the first time on Saturday. The Stags compiled a 22-11 overall record last season, reaching the semifinals of the Women’s Basketball Invitational (WBI). Fairfield, who was predicted to finish fourth in the MAAC, has losses to East Carolina, Marshall, Hofstra and most recently to Cornell. The team’s lone win came in a 58-47 double-overtime thriller against Butler.
Statistically, Fairfield has averaged 60.8 points in their first five contests. The team is shooting 40.9 percent (108-of-264) from the field and is tallying 6.4 three-pointers per contest.
Kristin Schatzlein leads the Stags with 16.4 points per game and is tied for a team-best 17 assists. Forward Casey Smith is boasting 11.6 points and shooting 50 percent (24-of-48) from the field. Samantha Cooper and Helena Orts are the top-rebounders, pulling in 6.2 boards per game.
NOTABLE NUGGETS
- Bria Holmes has scored double figures in eight consecutive games dating back to last season.
- Holmes has 805 points and is 195 from reaching 1,000 career points.
- Senior Linda Stepney is three games shy of starting her 100th career game.
- WVU’s 10 blocks vs. Evansville was seventh-best in the NCAA in a single-game this year.
- Bria Holmes has scored double figures in eight consecutive games dating back to last season.
- Holmes has 805 points and is 195 from reaching 1,000 career points.
- Senior Linda Stepney is three games shy of starting her 100th career game.
- WVU’s 10 blocks vs. Evansville was seventh-best in the NCAA in a single-game this year.
WVU EXTENDS HOME WIN STREAK
- With a win over Evansville on Wednesday, the Mountaineers have won 11 consecutive games at the WVU Coliseum dating back to last season.
- The Mountaineers’ 11-game home win streak is tied for fifth all-time at WVU and is tied for 10th among the nation’s active home winning streaks.
- With a win over Evansville on Wednesday, the Mountaineers have won 11 consecutive games at the WVU Coliseum dating back to last season.
- The Mountaineers’ 11-game home win streak is tied for fifth all-time at WVU and is tied for 10th among the nation’s active home winning streaks.
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