MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The West Virginia University women’s basketball team closes out a two-game homestand against Fairleigh Dickinson on Sunday, Dec. 6, in a 4 p.m. tipoff at the WVU Coliseum.
Sunday is the annual Salvation Army “Forgotten Angels” Toy Drive. 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. Additionally, kids 13 and under who bring a completed Musket coloring sheet (click
here) will receive free admission to Sunday’s contest.
Tickets can be purchased online at WVUGAME.com by selecting the print-at-home option and by calling
1-800-WVU GAME.
A free video stream will be provided at WVUsports.com. Jeff Culhane and Liz Repella will call the action on the Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG. Fans can listen to the contest on various affiliates across the state, online at WVUsports.com or by using the TuneIn Radio app.
West Virginia (5-2) and Fairleigh Dickinson (1-5) meet for the third time on Sunday. The Mountaineers and Knights have met the two previous years. Last season, WVU routed FDU 80-52 in Hackensack, New Jersey. Bria Holmes paced the Mountaineers with 25 points in the victory. On Dec. 7, 2013, WVU knocked off the Knights 94-47 at the Coliseum.
“Right now, we need to focus on getting better each game,” coach Mike Carey said. “We have to become more consistent as we get closer to Big 12 play. We responded in the second half against Morehead State. But, the problem is when we play a really good team, we’re not going to come back from that kind of deficit.”
Fairleigh Dickinson fell 72-62 at Bucknell on Friday. The Knights’ lone victory came in a 74-68 victory over Grand Canyon on Nov. 29 in the final game of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Challenge. FDU is averaging 62.0 points, while allowing opponents to score 73.8 points per contest. The Knights are shooting 37.7 percent (143-of-379) in six games this season.
Kelsey Cruz paces FDU with 20.2 points, while senior Erika Livermore is boasting 14.0 points per game. Livermore leads the Knights with 6.0 rebounds per game.
Carey became the program’s all-time wins leader with the Mountaineers’ 94-56 victory over Morehead State on Wednesday. Carey surpassed legend Kittie Blakemore’s mark of 301 wins. Since his arrival during the 2001-02 season, Carey has produced a .649 winning percentage.
West Virginia overcame a slow first quarter against the Eagles on Wednesday to outscore MSU, 52-18, in the second half. Bria Holmes netted a season-high 29 points, while grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out five assists. Holmes’ 19.9 points per game is second in the Big 12 Conference. Her 57 field goal makes leads the league and ranks 13th in the NCAA’s statistical rankings.
Lanay Montgomery recorded her fourth career double-double and first of the season with 12 points and 18 rebounds. Montgomery leads conference and ranks third in the NCAA with 3.9 blockers per game.
Freshman Olivia Seggie had a stellar performance with nine assists and no turnovers. Seggie’s assist/turnover ratio of 6.25 paces the Big 12 and ranks second nationally.