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WVU Tops Kansas for Carey's 600th Career Win
January 16, 2016 10:16 PM | Women's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - A smothering defense helped the West Virginia University women’s basketball team pick up a 72-35 victory over Kansas at the WVU Coliseum. Saturday’s victory gave coach Mike Carey his 600th overall career win in 28 years of coaching at the collegiate level. Carey won 288 games in 13 seasons as the men's coach at Salem International and currently has claimed 312 victories at WVU in 15 seasons.
Early in the first quarter, Kansas held a lead for nearly four minutes. However, the Mountaineers utilized a 13-1 run to retake the advantage and never looked back. WVU outscored Kansas in every quarter and limited the Jayhawks to the fewest points allowed against a Big 12 opponent since the Mountaineers joined the league during the 2012-13 season. The win gave West Virginia (15-4, 4-2 Big 12) its first regular season sweep in league action since 2014. Kansas dropped its eighth consecutive game, falling to 5-12 overall and 0-6 in the Big 12.
“I’ve always said about that – you need great players, great assistant coaches, and administration has to be on board, and I’ve been fortunate enough at both Salem and here at WVU to have that,” said Carey. “We didn’t shoot the ball very well, but it’s good to get this win even if you don’t shoot the ball well.”
Reigning Big 12 Freshman of the Week Tynice Martin led all scorers and netted a season-high 18 points in the victory. The guard made 8-of-12 from the field, while dishing out a pair of assists and grabbing two steals.
Bria Holmes climbed to No. 4 on WVU’s all-time scoring ledger with her 14 points on the night. Holmes passed Kate Bulger (1,733) with 1,734 points. The senior grabbed six rebounds, dished out a team-best five assists, blocked two shots and snatched a pair of steals.
For the fourth time this season, Lanay Montgomery registered a double-double with 14 points and 17 rebounds. Montgomery made five of her seven field goal attempts and blocked three shots. Teana Muldrow eclipsed the double-figure plateau with 10 points in 21 minutes.
West Virginia shot 45.2 percent (28-of-62) from the field despite making just two three-pointers. WVU outmanned KU, 46-34, on the boards and dominated the paint, 44-16. The Mountaineers forced 25 Jayhawk turnovers, converting those into 21 points. The WVU bench netted 39 of the team’s 72 points.
The first quarter remained tight for the first six minutes of action. Kansas took an 8-5 lead after Kaylee Kopatich connected on a layup at the 5:29 mark. West Virginia closed the half on a 10-1 run, which included a coast-to-coast score from Martin. The Mountaineers outscored the Jayhawks, 12-2, in the paint.
West Virginia pushed its run to 13-1, taking an 18-11 lead in the second quarter. The Mountaineers would outscore Kansas 17-5 in the second stanza to take a commanding 32-14 halftime edge. The 14 points for the Jayhawks were the fewest first half points scored against WVU in the opening half. Montgomery led WVU with eight points, while four Jayhawks each had three points apiece.
The Mountaineers picked up the offensive pace, scoring 18 points in the third quarter. Martin netted her fourth consecutive double-figure game by reaching the 10-point plateau in the frame. Lauren Aldridge scored five of KU’s 13 third quarter points, but WVU maintained a 50-27 advantage. Aldridge finished the night with a team-leading 10 points for Kansas.
In the final quarter, West Virginia scored a game-best 22 points en route to a decisive regular season series sweep of the Jayhawks. The 35 points were the fewest allowed by WVU in a Big 12 game since arriving in the league in 2012-13.
West Virginia takes a week-long break before traveling to TCU (11-6, 3-3 Big 12) on Sunday, Jan. 24. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. ET/Noon CT, with a televised broadcast on FOX Sports Southwest.
NOTES: West Virginia is 15-1 this season when leading at the half … West Virginia is 15-2 when scoring 60 or more points this season. … KU’s 14 first half points were the fewest for a Big 12 opponent against WVU this season … Lanay Montgomery recorded her fourth double-double of the season and first in Big 12 action with 14 points and 17 rebounds … Montgomery has seven double-doubles in her career … Coach Mike Carey earned his 600th-career victory …. Carey has won 312 games in 15 seasons at WVU and netted 288 victories while at the helm at Salem for 13 seasons … Tynice Martin notched her fourth consecutive double-digit scoring game with a season-high 18 points … … West Virginia allowed the fewest points (35) against a Big 12 opponent since joining the league in 2012-13 … Kansas’ 35 points were the fewest scored all season for the Jayhawks … Bria Holmes moved to No. 4 on WVU’s all-time scoring chart with her 14 points on Saturday, passing Kate Bulger (1,733) … Holmes has netted 1,734 points in her four-year career.
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