Mountaineers Meet Duquesne for 46th Time
December 09, 2014 12:15 PM | General
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – For the 46th time on Wednesday, the No. 23/20-ranked West Virginia University women’s basketball team meets Duquesne on the hardwood in a 7 p.m. tilt at the WVU Coliseum.
The game presents two contrasting playing styles, as WVU’s top-15 defense takes on Duquesne’s top-25 offense. West Virginia owns a 36-9 all-time mark against the Dukes. However, Duquesne has won two out of the last three meetings, including a 62-54 win in Morgantown during the 2012 season. The Mountaineers won, 88-80, last year in Pittsburgh.
“They are the same old Duquesne team,” said coach Mike Carey. “They have a bunch of shooters. They have some skill people and have some size in the paint. We all know, we’ve struggled with them in the past. Sometimes it’s a tough matchup and this is a tough matchup for us.”
Wednesday’s contest is $1 admission presented by United Bank. Purchase tickets online at WVUGAME.com or by calling 1-800-WVU GAME.
The contest will air regionally on ROOT SPORTS. Jeff Culhane will describe the action on the Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG. Fans can listen to the broadcast via WVUsports.com and the Tune In Radio app.
West Virginia (6-1) has won four consecutive games, including an 83-43 victory over Coppin State last Saturday. The Mountaineers carry a 13-game home win streak into the Coliseum on Wednesday. The streak is currently the 8th longest in the NCAA and is the fourth longest in program history.
WVU is tied for second nationally with 7.0 blocks per game, while their field goal percentage defense of 33.0 percent is 14th in the NCAA.
Bria Holmes, the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year, is averaging a league-best 24.1 points per game, ranking sixth in the nation. Holmes has registered double figures in 11 consecutive games.
Fresh off a double-double versus Coppin State, senior forward Averee Fields is second on the team with 15.9 points per game. She leads WVU with a field goal percentage of 55.7 (44-of-79).
A pair of other Mountaineers sit atop the nation’s leaderboard. Senior Linda Stepney’s assist/turnover ratio of 3.3 is second in the Big 12 and 13th nationally. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh native Lanay Montgomery’s 3.1 blocks per game sits 16th on the NCAA ledger.
Duquesne (5-3) has won five straight games after opening the year 0-3. On Sunday, the Dukes knocked off cross-town rival Pittsburgh, 87-77.
Second-year head coach Dan Burt’s squad has one of the nation’s most prolific offenses with a 47.1 shooting percentage, that is good for 21st in the nation. From three-point land, the Dukes are knocking down an average of 6.6 triples per game at a 42.7 percent clip.
April Robinson leads Duquesne with 15.9 points, 6.3 assists and 1.8 steals per contest. Deva’Nya Workman is the Dukes top-rebounder, corralling 6.4 boards per contest.
WVU IN THE POLLS
- WVU moved up one to No. 23 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll on Dec. 8.
- On Tuesday, the Mountaineers moved up one spot to No. 20 in the USA TODAY Sports coaches poll.
NOTABLE NUGGETS
- Bria Holmes has scored double figures in 11 consecutive games dating back to last season.
- Holmes has 865 points and is 135 from reaching 1,000 career points.
- She would become the 31st 1,000-point scorer in program history.
- Senior Linda Stepney made her 100th career start last week and is three shy of the school’s top-10 mark.
- WVU has notched double-digit steals in the last three games, grabbing 16 vs. Fairfield, 14 at FDU and 16 vs. Coppin State.
STEPNEY CLIMBING RECORD BOOK
- Senior Linda Stepney has dished out 322 career assists, which is 16th all-time at WVU. She is just nine away from reaching Brooke Hampton’s 331 set last year.
CAREY’S HOMECOURT EDGE
- WVU is 360-160 (.692) overall all-time at the Coliseum in program history.
- WVU is 154-39 (.798) all-time under Mike Carey, including a flawless home record in 2010.
- West Virginia has experienced 18 of the top 20 largest crowds at the Coliseum under coach Carey.
- WVU has yet to have a losing season at home under the direction of the Clarksburg native.
Mountaineer Invitational Recap
Thursday, April 16
College Basketball Crown Recap
Thursday, April 16
Andrew Powdrell | April 15
Thursday, April 16
Coach Pat Kirkland | April 15
Thursday, April 16
