MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The No. 17/16-ranked West Virginia University women’s basketball team opens its Big 12 home schedule with No. 2/2 Baylor on Wednesday, Jan. 4, in a 7 p.m. tipoff at the WVU Coliseum.
Tickets for Wednesday’s contest are $1 courtesy of United Bank. The first 250 Mountaineer Kids Club members, who check in at the Gold Gate, will receive a free chicken sandwich from Chick-Fil-A. Following the game, the Mountaineers will host a Teddy Bear Toss. Fans are invited to bring new or gently used teddy bears and other stuffed animals to toss on the court after the game. All donated items will be distributed by the City of Morgantown Police and Monongalia County Sherriff’s Office to child victims of crime and trauma. Tickets can be purchased online at
WVUGAME.com or by calling the Mountaineer Ticket Office at 1-800-WVU GAME.
The game with the Lady Bears is televised on FS2 and the FOX Sports Go app (with a TV provider login). Ron Thulin and Brenda VanLengen are calling the action.
Dan Zangrilli and Meg Bulger will have the call on the Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG. Fans can listen to various affiliates across the state (click here for full list), WVUsports.com, the WVU Gameday app and TuneIn.
West Virginia (13-1, 1-1) dropped its first game of the year with an 86-71 loss at Kansas State on Sunday. The Mountaineers’ 14 three-pointers were second-most in a single game. K-State shot 54.7 percent from the field, ending WVU’s 14-game streak of holding opponents to less than 40 percent shooting. Chania Ray tallied a career-high 23 points and dished out seven assists in the setback. Teana Muldrow registered five three-pointers and scored 15 points. Other double-figure scorers included Tynice Martin’s 14 and Kristina King’s 11 points.
Ray was named the Big 12 Co-Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 20.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists at TCU and Kansas State. The honor was the first for Ray in her collegiate career.
West Virginia ranks in the top 20 in eight statistical categories. Among those, WVU is second in field goal percentage defense (31.0%), second in blocked shots per game (7.4 bpg), fourth in scoring margin (+29.4), eighth in scoring defense (51.9 ppg) and ninth in rebounding margin (+12.).
WVU and Baylor (13-1, 2-0) meet for the 12th time on Wednesday, as the Lady Bears hold a 9-2 edge in the series. Since 1980, West Virginia has won 42 games against Associated Press Top 25 teams, including 32 wins Under Mike Carey’s direction. West Virginia has one win against the No. 2-ranked team in the country, a 65-63 victory at Notre Dame on Feb. 12, 2012. The Mountaineers’ last top 10 win came with a 71-69 win at Baylor on March 2, 2014. BU swept the series last year with a 69-64 win in Waco (Jan. 12, 2016) and a 71-61 victory in Morgantown (Jan. 30, 2016).
“Since we’ve been in the Big 12, this is by far their best and deepest team,” coach Carey said. “This team has the capability of winning a national championship. They are very good and very deep. If we do not have a great effort, it’s going to be a long night. Hopefully, we have some pride and want to redeem the way we played the other night.”
The Lady Bears have won 11 consecutive games since falling, 72-61, at UConn on Nov. 17. The Lady Bears lead the nation in 12 different statistical categories.
BU has the nation’s No. 1 scoring offense (94.3 ppg) and leads the nation in field goal percentage defense (28.7 percent). BU is also in the top-10 in seven other categories.
In Baylor’s 11 wins, the Lady Bears’ average scoring margin is 57.6 points per game. The closest margin of victory was a 14-point win (84-70) over No. 9 UCLA on Nov. 14.
Four Lady Bears are averaging double figures with Alexis Jones averaging 15.6 points per game. Kalani Brown is boasting 13.9 points per contest and is the team’s best rebounder, pulling down 8.6 boards per game. Nina Davis, a preseason All-America selection, is averaging 12.3 points per game. Alexis Prince (11.3 ppg) and Beatrice Mompremier (10.2) are also in double-figures.
No. 17/16 West Virginia remains at home on Sunday, Jan. 8, with a 4 p.m. matchup against No. 20/24 Oklahoma. Sunday is Family Day. Fans can purchase four tickets and a $15 concession voucher for $25.
