WVU Narrowly Misses Upset of No. 5 Baylor
January 10, 2015 06:21 PM | General
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The No. 25-ranked West Virginia University women’s basketball team led for nearly eight minutes in the second half over No. 5-ranked Baylor, but fell short in a 66-62 contest at the WVU Coliseum on Saturday afternoon.
West Virginia (10-5, 0-3 Big 12) climbed out of an 11-point first half deficit, as the Lady Bears (14-1, 3-0 Big 12) took a 36-32 lead at the break. In the second half, both teams battled back-and-forth swapping the lead four times until Averee Fields banked a jumper at 12:12. WVU would stretch its edge to four points with under eight minutes to go.
However, Baylor’s Imani Wright connected on a trey at 5:24 to tie the game. From there, the Bears pushed their lead to six with under two minutes remaining. A Bria Holmes jumper with just 50 seconds remaining, cut the game to 64-62. But BU star Nina Davis pulled in an offensive rebound that led to two Baylor free throws from Kristy Wallace, thus ending the threat. Saturday’s loss snapped a 16-game home court winning streak, which was the third longest in program history.
Lanay Montgomery had a stellar performance, notching her third double-double of the year with 12 points and 17 rebounds. Montgomery’s 17 boards, were the fifth-most in a single game by a WVU sophomore.
Holmes paced the Mountaineers with 17 points. Guard Linda Stepney added 10 points and dished out six assists in the victory. Averee Fields rounded out the WVU double-figure scorers with 14 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals.
“We played hard, we played aggressive, and we only gave up 10 offensive rebounds today which is pretty good,” said coach Mike Carey. “The problem was that we gave up one or two at the end of the game. I thought that Lanay (Montgomery) played really well. She continues to get better, and I thought she did a great job.”
Overall, WVU was held to just 24-of-68 from the field for 35.3 percent shooting. Baylor knocked down 42.4 percent (25-of-59). The Lady Bears outscored the Mountaineer bench 35-to-5, while WVU won the fast break column, 10-to-6. Both teams pulled in an even 44 rebounds in the contest.
A Stepney triple briefly put the Mountaineers ahead 3-2 in the first half. Then the Lady Bears sprinted out on a seven-point run to take a six-point edge.
Khadijiah Cave’s layup pushed at 13:04 the Lady Bears lead to 11, their largest of the first stanza. West Virginia didn’t give up, clawing back with a six-point run of their own. Stepney found her second triple, while Crystal Leary added a bucket, to make it a 26-23 contest. During that stretch, Baylor was held scoreless from the field.
Baylor took a 30-26 lead into the locker room. BU shot 43.3 percent (13-of-30) from the field, while WVU was limited to 29 percent (9-of-31). BU won the rebound column, 23-21, in the first half. Fields and Holmes paced the way for WVU with six points each, while Cave had a game-high 11.
Stepney’s layup under 19 minutes helped the Mountaineers pull within two, 30-28, to start the second half. Montgomery scored in the paint, tying the game 34-34 at 16:25. With under 15 minutes remaining, a transition layup from Holmes propelled the Mountaineers their first lead 38-36 at 14:40.
The two squads traded leads until a triple by Fields at the 12:12 mark. WVU held steady for the next seven-plus minutes, but a Wright triple would shift the momentum to BU. A pair Cave free throws stretched Baylor’s lead to six under two minutes remaining. Cave finished with a game-high 20 points for Baylor. Holmes’ jumper with 50 seconds cut the lead to two, but Baylor pulled in an offensive rebound and connected on two free throws to seal the win.
Coming into the game, Baylor’s Davis lead the league in scoring, but she was held to just 10 points. Wright rounded out double-figure scoring with 11 points for the Lady Bears.
West Virginia continues action at home against Texas Tech on Wednesday, Jan. 14. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. in a televised contest on ROOT SPORTS.
NOTES:
WVU is now 2-6 all-time against Baylor … The last three games against the Lady Bears have been decided by four points or less … Senior guard Linda Stepney made her 108th career start, matching Rosemary Kosiorek for 8th all-time at WVU … Junior guard Bria Holmes has reached double figures in 18 consecutive games with 17 points on the day … Four Mountaineers reached double digits against the Bears … Sophomore center Lanay Montgomery recorded her third double-double of the season with 12 points and 17 rebounds … Montgomery matched Lisa Szymczak for fifth as a sophomore game leader in rebounds, pulling in a career-high 17 rebounds … In all five of West Virginia’s losses, the Mountaineers have shot less than 40 percent.
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