No. 18 WVU Wins 10th Straight Over Marshall
December 20, 2014 01:13 PM | General
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The No. 18-ranked West Virginia University women’s basketball team withstood a three-point barrage from Marshall in the second half to take a 69-56 win in the annual Chesapeake Energy Capital Classic on Saturday afternoon at the Charleston Civic Center.
WVU (9-1) held a 34-18 lead into the locker room. The Thundering Herd (6-3) came rolling back and used back-to-back triples to cut the Mountaineer lead down to seven with 10 minutes to play. West Virginia went on a 10-0 run to collect their 10th consecutive win in the Capital Classic and extend their current win streak to seven games.
Sophomore Lanay Montgomery recorded career-highs in points (15), rebounds (14), blocked shots (6) and steals (3) en route to WVU Most Valuable Player honors. Her six blocks were tied for fifth-most in a single-game by a Mountaineer sophomore. The double-double was the second for Montgomery this year.
Bria Holmes etched a game-best 16 points with 12 of those coming in the second stanza. A pair of WVU freshmen had standout performances as Tyara Warren notched her first double-figure game with 10 points. Teana Muldrow grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds.
“I thought we had a great efforts from Lanay Montgomery and Tyara Warren,” said coach Mike Carey. “We still need to get better before our game against Ohio State on Monday. Give Marshall credit, they played a good game.”
WVU finished shooting 43.5 percent (27-of-62) from the field, limiting Marshall to 22-of-69 for 31 percent. The Mountaineers grabbed 56 rebounds, outmatching the Herd by 20 in the boards column.
To open the contest, Montgomery scored five points and pulled in five rebounds as the Mountaineers held a 12-8 lead. Field and Holmes found foul trouble with two each. Despite the limited playing time from the starters and a seven-minute field goal drought, WVU closed out the half on an 11-0 run to take a 34-18 halftime lead.
Marshall was held to 17.9 percent shooting (7-of-39) from the field, while West Virginia shot at a 46.4 percent (13-of-28) clip. Montgomery had nine points and nine rebounds, while Muldrow recorded a career-high 12 rebounds in the opening frame. The Herd’s Leah Scott had eight points.
In the second half, Marshall battled with a pair of triples from McKenzie Akers to put the Herd within 11 with 11:28 remaining. The Herd hit 5-of-6 to cut West Virginia’s lead to 51-41 with 10 minutes to play.
The three-point game went into full effect for Marshall as Akers again found the twine, narrowing WVU’s lead to single-digits. However, Holmes answered with back-to-back treys to put the Mountaineers up 59-44. Holmes’ play helped catapult a 10-0 run that saw West Virginia clinch its 10th consecutive Capital Classic trophy. Scott and Norrisha Victrum each finished with a team-high 15 points for Marshall.
No. 22/18 WVU closes out the pre-holiday stretch with a game against Big Ten foe Ohio State (7-4) on Monday, Dec. 22. The Buckeyes and Mountaineers tip-off at 2 p.m. inside the Value City Area. Monday’s game airs on the Big Ten Network Plus, which is a subscription-based online streaming broadcast.
NOTES:
Linda Stepney made her 103rd career start, just one shy of WVU’s top-10 list … WVU is now 38-16 all-time against Marshall and have 10 straight … Lanay Montgomery had a career-high six blocks, the fifth most by a sophomore in a single game … Montgomery’s double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds was the second of her career … Tyara Warren inked a career-high 10 points … Teana Muldrow pulled in a personal-best 14 rebounds … Linda Stepney led WVU with seven assists ... Bria Holmes has reached double-figures in 14-straight games.
TV Highlights | Big 12 Baseball Tournament Semifinal
Saturday, May 23
Steve Sabins, Brodie Kresser, Sean Smith | Arizona State Postgame
Saturday, May 23
TV Highlights: Big 12 Baseball Tournament Quarterfinal
Friday, May 22
Steve Sabins, Gavin Kelly, Maxx Yehl | Kansas State Postgame
Friday, May 22
