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Carey Nets WVU All-Time Wins Record
December 02, 2015 10:37 PM | Women's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The West Virginia University women’s basketball team overcame a sluggish first quarter to knock off Morehead State, 94-56, on Wednesday evening, at the WVU Coliseum. The win gave coach Mike Carey his 302nd victory at WVU, as he surpassed legendary coach Kittie Blakemore as WVU women’s basketball’s all-time wins leader.
West Virginia (5-2) trailed the Eagles (3-5) 26-18 at the end of one quarter. Despite MSU taking a 10-point lead early in the second quarter, WVU outscored Morehead State 24-12 to take a four-point halftime advantage. In the third quarter, the Mountaineers outscored MSU 34-8 and never looked back as Carey collected his 302nd win.
“To be honest, I’m just glad we won the game,” said Carey. “We’ve had a lot of great players, great assistant coaches and great administration. Since I have been here, this program has come a long way in 15 years, with the facilities and budgets. It’s never one person. It’s a bunch of people that take part in that.”
Carey has recorded a .649 winning percentage in 15 years at the helm of the program. Blakemore, who couldn’t be in attendance on Wednesday evening, sent her warmest regards.
“Records are made to be broken,” explained Blakemore. “It’s a marvelous thing for Mike. He has worked very hard at all of this. He has done such a good job and I appreciate what he has done for the program. I congratulate Mike on this outstanding accomplishment and wish him continued success.”
Senior guard Bria Holmes netted a season-high 29 points, pulled in seven rebounds and dished out five assists in 29 minutes of action. Holmes made 12-of-18 from the field and connected on 4-of-5 from the charity stripe. The New Haven, Connecticut, native climbed to No. 9 on WVU’s all-time scoring chart with 1,551 points, surpassing Olivia Bradley’s 1,534 points.
Center Lanay Montgomery netted her fourth career double-double and first of the season with a season-best 12 points and 18 rebounds. She also netted a season-best six blocks. Her 18 boards were the eighth-most in a game by a Mountaineer junior.
Freshman Katrina Pardee added 12 points to round out WVU’s double-figure scorers. Alexis Brewer, Teana Muldrow and Arielle Roberson each added eight points in the triumph. Freshman Olivia Seggie dished out nine assists with no turnovers, scored four points and grabbed three rebounds in the win. Seggie’s nine assists were tied for ninth-most by a freshman in a game.
Great to watch @CoachMikeCarey get win No. 302 tonight with @WVUWBB. Congrats! #HailWV pic.twitter.com/XTd0Uc1s2i
— Shane Lyons (@WVUADLyons) December 3, 2015
The Mountaineers finished the game shooting 42.7 percent (35-of-82), while holding Morehead State to 32.4 percent (23-of-71) from the field. The Mountaineers banked eight three-pointers and made 16-of-23 (69.6 percent) free throw attempts. WVU’s 62 rebounds were a season-high, while WVU netted 32 second-chance points.
Morehead State’s nationally fifth-ranked offense caused some problems for the Mountaineers in the first quarter. WVU opened the contest with a 9-3 lead, including four points from Jessica Morton. However, Morehead State used a 9-2 run to take a 12-11 lead. The two teams were tied at 16, but MSU closed out the quarter on a 12-2 run to take a 26-18 advantage.
The Eagles shot a hot 64.7 percent clip, while WVU was limited to 29.2 percent shooting in the first half. Eriel McKee had 11 points for MSU in the opening period.
Morehead State pushed its lead to 32-22 at the 8:01 mark with an offensive rebound and putback by Georgia Campbell. West Virginia used a 14-2 run capped by a Pardee three to take a 39-36 lead with two-plus minutes left in the first half. WVU held a 42-38 edge at the break. The Mountaineers shot 39.0 percent (16-of-41) from the field, while limiting Morehead State to 37.8 percent (17-of-45). Holmes led WVU with nine points. McKee had all 17 of her team-high points in the first half.
An explosive 23-4 West Virginia run in the third quarter catapulted the Mountaineer offense. At one point, Holmes scored nine consecutive points for WVU. West Virginia took a commanding lead that they would never relinquish, marking the 21st consecutive win over a non-conference opponent at the Coliseum.
The Mountaineers remain at home to host Fairleigh Dickinson on Sunday, Dec. 6, in a 4 p.m. tilt at the Coliseum. Fans who bring a new, unwrapped toy to the game will receive a free ticket to use for a future regular season women’s basketball game.
Congratulatory Remarks on Coach Mike Carey’s All-Time Wins Record
“Records are made to be broken. It’s a marvelous thing for Mike. He has worked very hard at all of this. He has done such a good job and I appreciate what he has done for the program. I congratulate Mike on this outstanding accomplishment and wish him continued success.”
- Kittie Blakemore, Former West Virginia University head women’s basketball coach (1973-92)
“Congratulations to Mike on becoming West Virginia women’s basketball’s all-time wins leader. He has been a tremendous asset to West Virginia University during the past 15 seasons. I commend him on setting a new mark and wish him continued success with the program.”
- Shane Lyons, West Virginia University Director of Intercollegiate Athletics
“Congratulations coach Carey! No.1 you’re old, but most importantly, No. 2, you’re a great coach. Kate and I were so lucky to be coached by you. We learned a lot, laughed a lot, but most importantly, felt like family. You’ve got a lot of wins left in you! We thank you for everything you have done.”
- Meg Bulger, Former West Virginia University women’s basketball player (2004-08)
“Congratulations coach Carey on this huge accomplishment! I’m very proud of you and honored to have been a part of this great achievement.”
- Asya Bussie, Former West Virginia University women’s basketball player (2010-14)
“Congratulations coach Carey on becoming the leader in all-time wins! You’ve earned it by putting in the time and hard work. Not only that, you have made our teams a family. Thank you for all that you have done for the WVU women’s basketball program. Your success doesn’t end here.”
- Chakia Cole, Former West Virginia University women’s basketball player (2005-08)
"What coach Carey has done for this program can't be put into words. He is more than just a coach to his players. When you come to West Virginia as a student-athlete, you're going to be taken care of and form relationships for the rest of your life. It's not just a four-year thing with him and that's why he's successful and why his program is so unique. I'm so happy for my former coach and honored to have played for him."
- Liz Repella, Former West Virginia University women’s basketball player (2008-11)
“Congratulations to coach Carey on this well-deserved honor! This honor is only fitting for a great coach, leader and mentor.”
- Olayinka Sanni, Former West Virginia University women’s basketball player (2005-08)
NOTES: With the win over Morehead State, coach Mike Carey surpassed Kittie Blakemore as West Virginia’s all-time wins leader with 302 victories at WVU … coach Carey is just 10 wins shy of reaching his 600th career victory … the last time the Mountaineers won after trailing by 10 points or more was against then-ranked No. 24 Texas on March 1, 2015, inside the WVU Coliseum … the last time West Virginia won by 30 or more points was against Coppin State on Nov. 18 … WVU has won 21 straight games at the Coliseum against non-conference opponents dating back to the 2013-14 season … West Virginia is 93-7 at home against nonconference opponents since 2002 … the Mountaineers have now won 10 consecutive games at the Coliseum since knocking off Iowa State on Feb. 21, 2015 … WVU set a season high for most points in a quarter with 34 points in the third quarter … the last time the Mountaineers pulled down 62 rebounds was against Evansville on Nov. 26, 2015 … senior guard Bria Holmes collected a season-high 29 points tonight to pass Olivia Bradley on WVU’s all-time scoring ledger, moving to No. 9 with a total of 1,551 points in her career … junior Lanay Montgomery recorded her first double-double of the season and fourth of her career, scoring a season-high 12 points and pulling down a career-high 18 rebounds against the Eagles … Montgomery’s performance is tied for eighth all-time with 18 rebounds scored in a single game by a junior … Montgomery has grabbed six or more rebounds in five straight games … freshman Katrina Pardee matched a career-high 12 points against the Eagles … the last time Pardee scored 12 points was against USC on Nov. 23 … senior Arielle Roberson recorded a career-high eight points … freshman Olivia Seggie dished out a career-high nine assists on the night … Seggie is tied for ninth all-time with nine assists in a single game by a freshman.
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