MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The West Virginia University women’s basketball team closes out its regular-season series in a road bout at No. 3-ranked Baylor on Sunday, Feb. 15. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. ET at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas.
Sunday’s contest is set to air nationally on
ESPN2/WatchESPN. Jeff Culhane and Meg Bulger will call the action on the Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG. Fans can listen to the game on various affiliates throughout the state, online at
WVUsports.com/audio or by using the TuneIn Radio app.
West Virginia (15-9, 5-7) is seeking its second road win in Big 12 play this season. The Mountaineers are coming off a thrilling 59-56 win over Kansas on Tuesday. Bria Holmes poured in a game-high 22 points, while Averee Fields reached double figures with 10 points.
The Mountaineers lead the Big 12 with 6.7 blocks per game, thanks in part to Lanay Montgomery’s league-leading average of 3.6 blocks. WVU is third in the league in field goal percentage defense, allowing just 33.6 percent shooting from the field this season.
“They are a very good basketball team,” said coach Mike Carey. “Other than the first four minutes here, we played very well against them. I think we are a good match up for them. We beat them at their place last year. I know their fans will have that on their mind when we play tomorrow. We need to survive the eight minutes. If we do, it’s going to be a good basketball game.”
WVU and Baylor had a tight game in Morgantown earlier this season on January 10. The Lady Bears led for most of the first half before WVU came back to tie the game and take a lead midway in the second half. However, BU pulled out a 66-62 victory at the WVU Coliseum.
Baylor has won six out of the eight previous meetings. But, the last three contests between the two teams have been decided by four points or less.
Sunday’s matchup will pit the league’s top two scorers in Holmes and Baylor’s Nina Davis. Davis leads the league with 21.4 points, while Holmes is boasting 20.0 points in 24 games. Fields is the Mountaineers’ second-leading scorer, averaging 13.6 points a contest.
Baylor (23-1, 12-0 Big 12) has won 22 consecutive games since suffering a setback to nationally-ranked Kentucky earlier this season. The Lady Bears lead the Big 12 in 12 different statistical categories and are in the NCAA top-5 in five others. BU is averaging 82.0 points per game and are shooting 47.8 percent from the field.
Beyond Davis’ scoring contributions, Niya Johnson is handing out a nation-best 8.7 assists per game.
PLAY 4KAY
- WVU participates in its first of two Play 4Kay games on Sunday.
- WVU’s home pink game is set for Feb. 21 vs. Iowa State. All tickets are free courtesy of WVU Healthcare by visiting WVUsports.com/pink.
- Fans can donate to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund by visiting Play4Kay.org/WVUWBB.
AGAINST RANKED OPPOSITION
- WVU is 40-154 all-time against ranked opponents. In 2014, WVU picked up five wins over ranked foes.
- West Virginia has six Top 10 wins in program history. The most recent came at No. 6 Baylor last season on March 2, 2014.
- This season, WVU has two Top 25 wins in victories over No. 21/20 Oklahoma State (Jan. 17) and No. 24 Oklahoma (Feb. 1).
WEST VIRGINIA WINS WHEN...
- West Virginia is 14-1 this season when leading at halftime. The only blemish was a 65-59 loss at Kansas.
- WVU is 4-1 when having four players reach double figures. The only loss came to Baylor on Jan. 10.
- West Virginia is 11-1 this season when holding opponents to less than 60 points. The rare exception was a 55-44 loss to Texas Tech on Jan. 14.
- WVU is 9-0 when scoring 70+ points.
- West Virginia is 10-0 when committing fewer fouls than its opponents.
- WVU is 14-3 overall when outrebounding its opponent
