MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - West Virginia University women’s basketball senior guard Bria Holmes capped a memorable Senior Night with a team-high 27 points, as the Mountaineers rolled to an 82-48 victory over No. 22 Oklahoma State on Saturday evening at the WVU Coliseum.
WVU (22-8, 11-6 Big 12) sprinted out to a 22-11 lead after one quarter and never trailed, as the Mountaineers pushed their advantage to 30 midway through the fourth quarter. Oklahoma State fell to 20-8 overall and 10-7 in the league. The victory gives WVU sole possession of third place in the Big 12 with one regular-season game remaining at Iowa State on Tuesday, March 1.
The 27-point effort from Holmes and a season-high 20 points from Martin helped the Mountaineers collect their second Associated Press Top 25 win of the year. A season-high 5,080 fans were on hand for the victory, marking the 12th largest crowd to watch a WVU women’s basketball game at the Coliseum.
Holmes eclipsed the 500-point plateau for the third consecutive season, becoming the only Mountaineer women’s basketball player to achieve that feat. She finished 10-of-18 from the field and 4-of-7 from behind the three-point line.
Following the game during an on-court interview with analyst Meg Bulger on ROOT SPORTS Pittsburgh, Holmes' longtime boyfriend Oterrious Diggins asked her to marry him. The New Haven, Connecticut, native said yes.
Sophomore Teana Muldrow also reached double-figures in the win with 14 points, while grabbing six rebounds. Lanay Montgomery led West Virginia with nine rebounds and six blocks.
Offensively, WVU shot 55.2 percent (32-of-58) from the field and a season-high 54.2 percent (13-of-24) from behind the three-point line. The 13 triples were tied for second-most in a single game and the highest since hitting 13 against NJIT in 2008. Despite being outrebounded 39-to-28 by the Cowgirls, WVU converted 18 Oklahoma State turnovers into 18 points. WVU’s bench outscored OSU, 40-13. Brittney Martin led the Cowgirls with 14 points and 16 rebounds.
“I thought the three seniors played well. Bria (Holmes) without a doubt stepped up and played well, and Tynice Martin, too,” coach Mike Carey said. “We were hitting our shots tonight. It was a total team effort. I’m very proud of our team. That’s a good team there. That’s a good team, and they put it to us at their place. I’m really proud of our players, but I’m smart enough to know that we’re only as good as our next game.”
Holmes and Morton combined for WVU’s first 13 points as the Mountaineers held a 13-9 lead in the first seven minutes of action. Martin scored nine consecutive points to end the quarter as West Virginia held a 22-11 edge after one quarter.
A Muldrow three-pointer extended WVU’s lead to 38-20 with 4:30 left in the second quarter. West Virginia closed the half on an 8-4 run to take a 46-24 halftime lead. Holmes’ layup at the 1:10 mark gave Holmes her 501st career point, as she became the only Mountaineer to register 500 or more points in three consecutive seasons.
The Mountaineers shot 56.3 percent (18-of-32) from the field and 45.5 percent (5-of-11) from behind the arc. Oklahoma State was limited to 31.8 percent (7-of-22) shooting and 25.0 percent (2-of-8) from three-point line. Holmes led West Virginia with 19 point, while Martin netted 13. Oklahoma State’s Martin paced the Cowgirls with eight points.
The Cowgirls sprinted out to a four-point run in the third quarter. However, WVU continued to hit from behind the arc as the Mountaineers drained three-triples. West Virginia hit 64 percent of its shots, as WVU stretched its lead to 27 to end the period.
West Virginia made seven of 15 shots in the fourth quarter, as the Mountaineers rolled to their largest margin of victory in a Big 12 game this season.
Prior to the game, WVU honored its three seniors’ Holmes, Jessica Morton and Arielle Roberson. Morton finished with five points and five assists, while Roberson tallied four points and grabbed four rebounds.
The Mountaineers conclude the 2015-16 regular season with a matchup at Iowa State on Tuesday, March 1. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT in Ames, Iowa.
NOTES: West Virginia earned its second Associated Press Top 25 win of the season, as they claimed tonight’s victory over No. 22 Oklahoma State 82-48 … this is the seventh consecutive season that the Mountaineers have knocked off at least two top-25 teams … with the win, WVU owns a 6-4 edge in the all-time series against OSU ... tonight’s attendance of 5,080, is the 12th largest crowd for a women’s basketball game at the WVU Coliseum … twenty-four of WVU’s 30 opponents have shot 38.6 percent or less from the field … West Virginia has recorded five or more blocks in 29 of 30 games played this season … WVU is 20-5 this season when holding opponents to less than 69 points … the Mountaineers have eclipsed the 50 percent shooting plateau six times this season, shooting 55 percent (32-of-58) against the Cowgirls tonight … WVU is 21-3 when scoring 60+ points and is 22-2 when leading at halftime … WVU has distributed double-figure assists in 24 of 30 games this season … when three or more Mountaineers reach double figures, the Mountaineers are 15-3 … WVU has recorded 30+ points from the bench in 17 contests this season, and is 22-6 this season when outscoring the opponent’s bench … West Virginia scored the most three-pointers tonight with 13, since the Jan. 6 game against Kansas State (10) … senior Bria Holmes made her 100th career start tonight and became the only WVU women’s basketball player to score 500 or more points in three different seasons … freshman Tynice Martin also collected a season-high 20 points.
