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WVU Hosts Kansas on Superhero Day
January 15, 2016 01:02 PM | Women's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The West Virginia University women’s basketball team returns home to host Kansas on Saturday, Jan. 16 at 7 p.m., inside the WVU Coliseum. The game is televised regionally on ROOT SPORTS Pittsburgh. Geoff Coyle and Meg Bulger will call the action, while Amanda Mazey will serve as the sideline reporter.
West Virginia (14-4, 3-2 Big 12) is coming off a hard-fought, 69-64, defeat at No. 6/7-ranked Baylor. Meanwhile, the Jayhawks (5-11, 0-5) have dropped seven consecutive games, including a 75-38 loss to No. 4-ranked Texas on Wednesday.
Saturday is Superhero Day at the Coliseum. Tickets are $1 courtesy of United Bank and the first 1,500 fans in attendance receive a superhero mask courtesy of Untied Bank. Halftime entertainment will be provided by Heroes4Higher. Batman and Batwoman will speak to kids about how to prevent bullying. The organization based in West Virginia has been featured nationally on programs such as NBC’s Today Show. Since 2013, Heroes4Higher has performed at more than 200 schools. Additionally, the Heroes4Higher Batmobile will be displayed at the Coliseum.
Carey’s Crew Appreciation Day is also Saturday, where members can get free pizza and autographs from their favorite Mountaineer player.
Jeff Culhane and Liz Repella will call the action locally on WRLF 94.3 FM. Fans also can listen to the contest online at WVUsports.com or by using the WVU Gameday app.
The Mountaineers led by two points with three minutes remaining at Baylor, but the Lady Bears used an 11-4 run to collect their 33rd consecutive win in Waco. Bria Holmes scored 14 points to lead West Virginia, while reigning Big 12 Freshman of the Week Tynice Martin netted her third consecutive double-figure scoring game with 12 points.
A win on Saturday would give coach Mike Carey his 600th career win in 28 seasons. Carey won 288 games as the men’s coach at Salem and 311 as the coach at West Virginia.
West Virginia is averaging 72.5 points per game, while limiting opponents to 56.7 points per contest. WVU is shooting 44.3 percent from the field, including 32.0 percent from three-point range. Mountaineer opponents have been limited to 33.7 percent shooting, which ranks as the nation’s No. 15-best field goal percentage defense.
Holmes leads the Mountaineer squad and ranks second in the Big 12 with 17.1 points per game. The senior guard is 14 points away from passing Kate Bulger (1,733) for No. 4 on WVU’s all-time scoring ledger. Holmes ranks in WVU’s Top 10 in 10 different statistical categories.
Teana Muldrow continues to average double figures with 10.4 points per game. Junior Lanay Montgomery is averaging 8.9 points and a team-leading 8.2 rebounds per game. Montgomery’s 2.8 blocks per game are second in the league and No. 19 nationally. Martin is third on the team with 9.0 points per contest.
Kansas and West Virginia meet for the 10th time on Saturday. WVU picked up a 65-45 win in Lawrence on Jan. 3, taking a 5-4 edge in the all-time series. Jessica Morton netted a season-high 18 points, while Holmes contributed with 13 in the win. The two teams have split the series, 2-2, in Morgantown. The Mountaineers are looking for their first Big 12 sweep since the 2014 season.
“If we just go through the motions, Kansas can beat us no doubt,” said coach Carey. “They have a great point guard, some inside players and other shooters. They are a good basketball team. We’re going to have to come out and play hard and do what we do. If we don’t, it’s going to be a very close game.”
The Jayhawks are averaging 56.3 points per game this season, while opponents have scored 64.6 points per contest. KU is shooting 37.5 percent from the field and 30.1 percent from behind the three-point line.
Lauren Aldridge paces KU with 11.4 points per game, while Caelynn Manning-Allen is second on the team with 10.4 points per game.
The Mountaineers take an eight-day hiatus, before returning to action at TCU on Sunday, Jan. 24.
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