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No. 25 West Virginia Treks to TCU on Sunday
January 22, 2016 11:03 AM | Women's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - After a week-long break, the No. 25-ranked West Virginia University women’s basketball team returns to action on Sunday, Jan. 24 in a 1 p.m. ET/Noon CT matchup at TCU. The game is televised on FOX Sports Southwest and can be watched locally on FOX College Sports Pacific.
WVU (15-4, 4-2 Big 12) has won four of its last five games, including a 72-35 victory over Kansas on Jan. 16. The Horned Frogs (11-7, 3-4) have dropped four of their last five games, including a narrow 65-58 loss to No. 6-ranked Texas on Wednesday.
Jeff Culhane and Liz Repella will call the action on the Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG. Fans can listen to the contest on various affiliates across the state, online at WVUsports.com or by using the TuneIn Radio app.
The Mountaineers cruised to their biggest Big 12 win of the season last Saturday, holding the Jayhawks to a season-low 35 points. Tynice Martin paced the Mountaineers with 18 points, while Lanay Montgomery recorded her fourth double-double with 17 rebounds and 14 points. The victory over KU also gave coach Mike Carey his 600th career win. WVU entered the Associated Press Top 25 poll for the first time this season at No. 25. The Mountaineers have appeared in the AP Top 25 poll in seven consecutive years.
West Virginia boasts the Big 12’s toughest field goal percentage defense at 33.2, which ranks fifth nationally. In 19 games this season, 16 Mountaineer opponents have shot 38.6 percent or less from the field. WVU also leads the conference and ranks 10th in the NCAA with 6.1 blocks per contest.
On the offensive end, the Mountaineers are third in the league with a 44.4 field goal percentage and fifth with a 72.5 scoring average.
Senior CLASS Award candidate Bria Holmes continues to pace the Mountaineers with 16.9 points per contest. Holmes, a native of New Haven, Connecticut, is 18 points away from passing Talisha Hargis (1,751) for third on West Virginia’s all-time scoring ledger. Holmes’ 1,734 points leads all active scorers in the Big 12.
Sophomore Teana Muldrow is also boasting double figures with 10.4 points and continues to lead the team with 29 steals. Martin, a two-time reigning Big 12 Freshman of the Week honoree, is boasting 9.5 points per game and has reached double figures in four consecutive contests. Montgomery leads the Mountaineers with 8.5 rebounds per game, while averaging 9.2 points per contest.
WVU and TCU meet for the first time this season. The two squads split the regular season series last year. However, West Virginia owns an 8-1 mark in the all-time series that began in 1989. Last season, the Horned Frogs picked up a 73-63 win in Fort Worth.
“They’re very athletic and very active,” said Carey. “They’ve got several people that can shoot the three, but they can also take you off the dribble. They run the floor extremely well. It’s going to be a challenge. We’re going to have to take care of the basketball and not commit a live ball turnover that creates a layup on the other end.”
The Horned Frogs are boasting 72.6 points per game this season, while allowing 63.5 points per contest to opponents. TCU is shooting 42.9 percent from the field and holding opponents to 39.5 percent. The Horned Frogs’ three-point percentage is fourth nationally at 39.9 percent.
Zahna Medley, a preseason All-Big 12 honoree, paces the Horned Frogs with 15.5 points per game and 51 made three-pointers. AJ Alix is second on the team with 10.9 points per contest. Alix and Medley are both in the NCAA’s top 20 in 3-point field goal percentage with 45.1 percent and 43.6 percent, respectively. Catlin Diaz is the top TCU rebounder with 5.9 boards per game.
The No. 25-ranked Mountaineers continue their road swing at No. 19 Oklahoma on Wednesday, Jan. 27 in an 8 p.m. ET/7p.m. CT contest in Norman. The game is televised on FOX Sports Southwest Plus and FOX College Sports Central.
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