MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - West Virginia University women’s basketball closes out its two-game homestand with TCU on Wednesday, February 4. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. inside the WVU Coliseum.
Jeff Culhane and Meg Bulger are calling the action on the Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG. Listen to various affiliates across the state, online at
WVUsports.com or by using the TuneIn Radio app.
West Virginia (13-8, 3-6 Big 12) is coming off a strong 78-69 win over then No. 24-ranked Oklahoma on Sunday. The Mountaineers shot 44.4 percent and had nine players score in the victory, with sophomore Bre McDonald netting a career-high 19 points. Senior Averee Fields earned her fourth double-double this season, scoring 12 points and pulling in 12 rebounds.
“Hopefully, we’ll get a little confidence now,” said coach Mike Carey. “Bria Holmes was in foul trouble. Some other players had to step up and they did. It was a total team effort. Hopefully, we can build upon that.”
This season, the Mountaineers are scoring 69.3 points per game and holding opponents to 59.8 points. WVU’s rebounding margin of +6.6 is 39th nationally, while the team’s 36.5 field goal percentage defense is 43rd.
Bria Holmes, the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year, continues to lead the Mountaineers with 19.5 points per game. Lanay Montgomery’s 3.8 blocks per game are tops in the league and 10th nationally. Meanwhile, senior Linda Stepney’s 3.1 assist/turnover ratio sits sixth in the NCAA.
WVU and TCU meet for the eighth time on Wednesday. West Virginia has never lost to the Horned Frogs; however, each of the past five games have been decided by 10 points or less.
The Horned Frogs (13-7, 5-4) are coming off a 64-59 win over No. 14-ranked Texas. In 20 games, TCU is averaging 70.0 points and giving up 67.4 to opponents. The Horned Frogs are second in the league with 6.9 made three-pointers per game and a stellar 75.7 free throw percentage.
Zahna Medley, a Preseason All-Big 12 selection, leads TCU with 15.8 points per contest. She is tops in the league and 28th nationally with an 86.3 free throw percentage.
Veja Hamilton (11.9) and Chelsea Prince (11.3) are also tallying double figures. Prince’s 2.95 steals per game also lead the Big 12 and sit 21st in the NCAA.
WEST VIRGINIA WINS WHEN…
- West Virginia is 12-1 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 January 10.
- West Virginia is 10-1 this season when holding opponents to less than 60 points. The rare exception was a 55-44 loss to Texas Tech on January 14.
- WVU is a perfect 8-0 when scoring 70+ points.
- West Virginia is 8-0 when committing fewer fouls than their opponents.
- WVU is 13-2 overall when outrebounding its opponent.
RECORD SETTERS
- Senior Linda Stepney has dished out 389 career assists, which is 12th all-time. Stepney is 11 away from reaching 11th, currently held by Alexis Basil (‘87).
- Stepney’s career assist/turnover ratio of 2.01 stands at third all-time in WVU history.
- Stepney’s career free throw percentage of 73.1 is 24th all-time at WVU.
- Bria Holmes’ 125 made three-pointers are ninth all-time, just six shy of tying Rosemary Kosiorek (‘92).
- Averee Fields’ 534 rebounds are 19th all-time at WVU.
- Lanay Montgomery’s 89 blocks this season are second most ever by a WVU sophomore and are ninth all-time in program history.
