SPOKANE, Washington – The West Virginia University women’s basketball team looks to regroup against USC after a 62-57 setback to Gonzaga on Sunday. The Mountaineers take on the Women of Troy in day two of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Challenge. Tipoff is set for 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT at the McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Washington.
A free video stream will be provided at GoZags.com. Jeff Culhane and Liz Repella will call the action on the Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG. Fans locally can listen to the contest on 94.3 FM in Morgantown or online at WVUsports.com.
On Sunday, the Mountaineers (2-1) rallied from a 19-point deficit, but fell short in the loss to Gonzaga. Senior guard Bria Holmes paced WVU with 19 points, scoring all of those in the second half. Lanay Montgomery added 10 rebounds, seven points and four blocks in the loss. WVU overcame a disappointing second quarter to outscore Gonzaga, 19-9, in the third.
Holmes paces the Mountaineers with 17.0 points per game, while Montgomery leads WVU with 8.3 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per contest. Holmes has produced 1,463 points during her career, which is No. 14 on WVU’s all-time scoring ledger. She needs 22 points to surpass No. 13 Georgeann Wells (1,484) and 29 to pass No. 12 Sherell Sowho (1,491).
Coach Mike Carey is looking for his 300th career win on Monday and needs just three victories to overtake Kittie Blakemore (301) as the program’s all-time win’s leader.
USC (3-0) collected a 75-44 win over Grand Canyon on Sunday. Kristen Simon produced a double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds against the Lopes. Aliyah Mazyck posted 14 points and dished out five assists in the win.
Coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke’s team has five double-figure scorers, which includes Simon’s 17.3 points. Jordan Adams is second on the team with 14.7 ppg and leads USC with 12.7 rebounds per contest. Mazyck (12.0 ppg), Temi Fagbenle (11.0 ppg) and Courtney Jaco (10.0 ppg) round out the double-digit scorers.
USC was projected to finish seventh in the Pac-12 preseason poll after completing last season with a 15-15 overall record and 7-11 in the league.
After Monday’s contest, West Virginia plays Grand Canyon on Tuesday to close the three-game stint in Spokane. The Mountaineers will travel to Uncasville, Connecticut, on Sunday, Nov. 29, to take on Yale at the Mohegan Sun Arena to complete the Hall of Fame Challenge.
