WVU Rolls Past Buffalo in WNIT Opener

84	61
WVU Coliseum \| Morgantown, W.Va. Box Score \| Season Stats \| WNIT Bracket

Score By Half
	1	2	Total
Buffalo	28	33	61
West Virginia	50	34	84

Team Stat Comparison
	WVU	UB
Points	50	28
FGM-FGA	28-68 (41.2%)	20-66 (30.3%)
3PM-3PA	10-19 (52.6%)	3-13 (23.1%)
FTM-FTA	18-21 (85.7%)	18-24 (75.0%)
Rebounds (Off.-Total)	20-50	18-40
Assists	23	6
Turnovers	12	10
Steals	5	9
Blocks	4	3
Fast Break Points	10	4
Bench Points	38	18

Game Leaders
	WVU	UB
Points	Two, tied at 20	Smith, 18
Rebounds	Fields, 8	Smith, 11
Assists	Holmes, 6	Miley, 3
Steals	Morton, 3	Malone, 3
Blocks	Four, tied at 1	Baccas, 2

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - West Virginia University women’s basketball produced its highest offensive output since December with an 84-61 win over Buffalo in the opening round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) on Thursday evening at the WVU Coliseum.

The Mountaineers (19-14) jumped out to a 16-2 lead and never looked back, taking as much as a 33-point edge in the second half. West Virginia hit 10 three-pointers and grabbed 50 rebounds in the rout of the Bulls (19-13). WVU’s 84 points were the most since tallying 101 against Saint Franics on December 29, 2014.

Next up, WVU will host Hampton (19-12) on Tuesday, March 24. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at the WVU Coliseum. The Lady Pirates held on to knock off Drexel, 45-42, in Philadelphia on Thursday evening.

Redshirt Freshman Teana Muldrow registered her second 20-point game of career, finishing with a game-high 20 points. Muldrow blistered the three-point line with 5-of-7 makes. All-America candidate Bria Holmes also put up 20 points, grabbed seven rebounds and handed out six assists.

“I thought we played well,” said coach Mike Carey. “We shot the ball well from three and that’s something we haven’t been doing, so that was good to see. I thought Teana (Muldrow) shot the ball well and I thought Bria (Holmes) and Averee (Fields) shot the ball well.”

Senior Averee Fields became the 32nd Mountaineer in program history to register 1,000 career points with her jumper at the 8:15 mark in the second half. Fields finished with 12 points and a team-best eight rebounds.

“It’s great for her,” said Carey. “She’s a great young lady on and off the floor. She does more in the community than anyone else on the squad. I’m very proud of her and she deserves it.”

Jessica Morton rounded out double-figure scoring for WVU with 11 points. Center Lanay Montgomery followed with eight points and six rebounds in the triumph.

For the game, WVU finished shooting 41.2 percent (21-of-68) from the field. The Mountaineers were 10-of-16 (52.6 percent) from three-point land. The Mountaineers won the rebound column 50-40 and dished out 23 assists.

Buffalo was limited to 20-of-66 (30.3 percent) shooting from the field and 3-of-13 (23.1 percent) from behind the arch. Joanna Smith led the Bulls with 18 points and 11 rebounds.

West Virginia used a dominating first half to take a 50-28 lead into the locker room. The Mountaineers opened on a 16-2 run and pushed their total to a season-best 50 points in the first half. Midway through the stanza, West Virginia used another 22-6 run to take command.

Muldrow hit her first six shots of the half and went 5-of-5 from the perimeter to lead WVU with 20 points at the half. The Mountaineers shot 45.9 percent (17-of-37) from the field and connected on 8-of-13 for 61.5 percent from three-point range. Buffalo was held to 33.3 percent (10-of-30). WVU won the rebound column 24-18 and outscored UB 15-2 on points off turnovers.

Buffalo held WVU to nine points in the first nine minutes of the second half. West Virginia pushed its lead to 77-44 with six minutes remaining and collected its 15th win at home.

WVU advances to the WNIT round of 32 and hosts Hampton on Tuesday, March 24 at 7 p.m.

General admission tickets will go on sale Friday. Tickets to Tuesday’s contest are $7, while youth tickets are $4. Carey’s Crew members receive free admission courtesy of United Bank, while students are also free. A valid student ID or Carey’s Crew membership card must be shown to receive the free ticket. A discounted group rate of $4 is available, but must be purchased in advance. To purchase tickets, visit WVUGAME.com or call 1-800-WVU GAME. Flex plan tickets cannot be redeemed for WNIT games.

Season ticket holders can purchase their same reserved seats by calling the Mountaineer Ticket Office at 1-800-WVU GAME before 5 p.m. on Monday, March 23.

NOTES:
This is West Virginia’s ninth straight postseason appearance and the 14th overall in program history … At the 8:15 mark of the second half, Averee Fields became the 32nd player in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau … Fields joined Bria Holmes as the second West Virginia player to accomplish the feat this season … WVU improved to 86-6 in home games against nonconference opponents since 2002 … WVU has now won 14 straight home games against non-conference opponents dating back to last season … West Virginia’s 50 points in the first half were its most points in the first half all season … Bria Holmes recorded her 32nd double-digit scoring game of the season and her 63rd of her career … Holmes posted her 23rd 20-point game of her career which ranks her eighth all-time in program history … West Virginia improved to 7-1 this season when four different Mountaineers scored in double figures … Teana Muldrow posted double-digit scoring for the 10th time this season … Muldrow recorded her second-career 20-point game.

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WVU Rolls Past Buffalo in WNIT Opener

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