team-huddle-iu-preview-12-21-15.jpg
No. 24 WVU Meets No. 21 OU in Top 25 Clash
January 26, 2016 12:43 PM | Women's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The No. 24-ranked West Virginia University women’s basketball team faces its first of two ranked teams this week with a showdown at No. 21/20 Oklahoma on Wednesday, Jan. 26. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman.
The game will be televised regionally on FOX Sports Southwest Plus and on FOX College Sports Central. Fans should consult their cable and satellite listings for availability in their area. Find the channel in your area by clicking here.
WVU (16-4, 5-2 Big 12) has won five of its last six games, including a 97-84 win at TCU on Sunday. Oklahoma (13-5, 4-3 Big 12) has collected three victories in the last five games, but fell 83-76 at No. 6-ranked Texas on Saturday. The Mountaineers return home on Saturday, Jan. 30, to host another Top 25 foe in No. 4 Baylor.
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.
In Sunday’s win over TCU, a trio of Mountaineers scored 20-plus points in the victory, a feat that happened for only the second time in program history with the first occurring on Dec. 14, 1996 at Robert Morris. Senior Jessica Morton netted a career-best 26 points, as she connected on 10-of-13 from the field. Bria Holmes added 24 points and moved into third on WVU’s all-time scoring chart with 1,758 career points. Sophomore Teana Muldrow inked her first career double-double with 21 points and a team-leading 10 rebounds.
“I didn’t think we’d score 97 points in the Big 12, let alone allow 61 points in the second half,” said coach Mike Carey about the Mountaineers’ win at TCU on Sunday. “We need to get back to normal a little bit. Oklahoma is very good at home. They shoot very well and have a good atmosphere at home. We better play good defense because they have a lot of people on the floor that can score at any given time.”
The Mountaineers are boasting 73.7 points per game and holding opponents to 57.0 points per contest. WVU’s 45.0 field goal percentage is 23rd nationally, while the team’s 33.9 field goal percentage defense is 11th. West Virginia’s 6.0 blocks per game leads the Big 12 and is ninth in the NCAA.
Holmes continues to the lead the Mountaineer offense with 17.3 points per game. Muldrow is second on the team with 11.0 points per game. Junior Lanay Montgomery leads WVU with 8.4 rebounds per game. Montgomery’s 62.1 field goal percentage leads the Big 12 Conference.
Oklahoma won two of the three matchups over West Virginia last season. The Sooners prevailed 71-60 in Norman. However, WVU knocked off the No. 24-ranked Sooners 78-69 in Morgantown on Feb. 1, 2015. The Sooners won 67-55 over the Mountaineers in the quarterfinal round of the Big 12 Championship last year in Dallas. A win on Wednesday evening would give West Virginia its first victory over a ranked opponent this season.
Through 18 games this season, Oklahoma is averaging 71.3 points per contest and limiting opponents to 59.4 points per game. The Sooners are shooting 41.1 percent from the field and limiting the opposition to 37.6 percent. OU paces the Big 12 with 18.6 turnovers forced per game.
Forward Kaylon Williams leads Oklahoma with 14.2 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Peyton Little follows with 11.6 points per contest.
West Virginia returns home on Saturday, Jan. 30, in a 4 p.m. tilt with No. 4-ranked Baylor. The Mountaineers narrowly missed an upset to BU falling, 69-64, on Jan. 12 in Waco.
NCAA Second Round Press Conference | Kellogg, Harrison, Shaw
Monday, March 23
NCAA First Round Recap
Sunday, March 22
Mark Kellogg, Meme Wheeler & Jordan Harrison | NCAA First Round vs. Miami (OH)
Saturday, March 21
NCAA Tournament Trailer
Friday, March 20
