MANHATTAN, Kan. - The West Virginia University women’s basketball team wraps up a two-game road swing at Kansas State on Wednesday, Jan. 6 in a 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT tip at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kansas. Wednesday’s contest will air on FOX College Sports Central or can be accessed using the FOX Sports Go app (TV provider login information required).
West Virginia (12-3, 1-1 Big 12) is coming off a 65-45 victory at Kansas on Sunday, while Kansas State (10-3, 0-2) dropped its second Big 12 game with an 87-73 loss at TCU on Saturday.
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.
West Virginia used a 13-0 run and outscored the Jayhawks 22-7 in the second quarter to take a commanding 36-17 lead on Sunday. The Mountaineers pushed their lead to as many as 28 in the second half en route to the team’s first road win since Jan. 17, 2015.
In the win over the Jayhawks, Jessica Morton registered a season-high 18 points in the victory. The senior knocked down 7-of-10 field goals, including 3-of-3 behind the arc. Senior Bria Holmes added 13 points, while Arielle Roberson collected a team-best seven rebounds and six steals.
"I thought we came out and defended well," said coach Mike Carey after his team's win at Kansas. "We created turnovers and because of that, we were able to score some fast breaks on the other end. We are going to have communicate against Kansas State. They have three or four shooters on the perimeter at all times and that makes it tough to sag."
Holmes’ 13 points moved her into a tie for fifth all-time with Meg Bulger on West Virginia’s all-time scoring list with 1,665 points. Holmes needs just 69 more points to pass Kate Bulger (1,733) for fourth at WVU. This season, Holmes is averaging 16.9 points, which ranks fifth in the Big 12.
Lanay Montgomery continues to lead the Mountaineers with 9.0 rebounds per game. Montgomery’s 3.0 blocks per game is ninth nationally and her 62.1 field goal percentage is second in the league. Additionally, the Pittsburgh junior is averaging 10.0 points per contest.
Sophomore Teana Muldrow is second on the team with 10.8 points per contest, while freshman Katrina Pardee has knocked down a team-leading 23 three-pointers this season.
This season, West Virginia is averaging 72.7 points per game and holding opponents to 56.1 points per contest. The Mountaineers’ field goal percentage defense of 33.7 ranks 17th nationally. WVU is shooting at a 44.2 percent clip from the field, which ranks 41st in the nation. WVU’s 5.8 blocks per game is second in the Big 12 and 13th in the NCAA.
West Virginia and K-State meet for the seventh time on Wednesday. The Mountaineers have won five of the first six meetings. However, Kansas State prevailed 59-55 on March 3, 2015, when the two teams last met in Manhattan. A Mountaineer victory on Wednesday would be the first time since the 2014 season that WVU picked up consecutive road victories in Big 12 play.
Kansas State (10-3, 0-2) had won seven consecutive non-conference games before entering Big 12 play. The Wildcats fell, 84-79, to Iowa State in their league opener and dropped an 87-73 decision at TCU on Saturday.
K-State ranks in the NCAA’s top-50 in multiple statistical categories. The Wildcats are boasting 73.2 points and giving up 61.1 points per game on defense. K-State is shooting 44.1 percent from the field, including 35.7 percent behind the arc. In national rankings, the Wildcats are 16th with 5.7 blocks per game and are 21st with a 1.22 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Breanna Lewis leads K-State with 17.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Kindred Wesemann follows with 14.5 points per game, including 37 made three-pointers this season. Wesemann’s 92.3 free throw percentage is third nationally. Megan Deines rounds out K-State’s double-figure scorers with 10.6 points per contest.
The Mountaineers return home on Saturday, Jan. 9, to host Texas Tech in a 7 p.m. tilt at the WVU Coliseum. Fans in attendance will receive a Mike Carey All-Time Wins poster courtesy of United Bank.
