Pardee’s Career Night Helps WVU Past UNF

Sunday, November 19

Morgantown, W.Va.

5:00 p.m.

West Virginia University

3-0

North Florida

2-2

North Florida

West Virginia

Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks

November 19, 2017 08:25 PM | Women's Basketball

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By: Ashley Bailey/Joe Mitchin

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Junior guard Katrina Pardee posted career numbers as the No. 12/15 West Virginia University women's basketball team earned its third consecutive win to begin the 2017-18 with an 87-59 win over North Florida, at the WVU Coliseum, on Sunday.

Pardee and senior forward Teana Muldrow each scored 20 points to lead West Virginia, which improved to 3-0 for the second consecutive season. Senior guard Chania Ray posted a double-double with a career-high 11 rebounds and 10 assists, finishing a trey shy of a triple-double with seven points.

"I give North Florida a lot of credit," WVU coach Mike Carey said. "They played harder than we did, executed better than we did, and played with more heart than we did."

WVU (3-0) jumped out to an early 8-2 lead, thanks to 3-pointers by Muldrow and Ray. From there, the Mountaineers' lead grew to double-figures after Pardee drained a shot from the perimeter to make it 17-7 at the 3:04 mark of the opening quarter.

All five of WVU's starters found the scoring column in the opening 10 minutes, as the Mountaineers led 21-13 after one period.

Later on, the Mountaineers pushed their advantage to 16 after a 6-0 run that saw baskets from freshman guard Destiny Harden, Pardee and Muldrow.

Then, WVU's defense buckled in. The Mountaineers held the Ospreys (2-2) scoreless for nearly four minutes during a span in the second quarter. West Virginia, meanwhile, was able to bump its lead to 19 – its largest of the half – after back-to-back buckets by Pardee to make it 43-24 with a minute to play before halftime. The Cedar Park, Texas, native led all scorers with 14 at the break, while Muldrow chipped in with 10 more. The Mountaineers led, 44-27, at the break.

WVU outrebounded North Florida, 26-10, in the first half, including an 11-0 advantage in offensive rebounds.

In the second half, WVU's lead reached 20 for the first time after a made jumper by Ray and another 3 by Pardee to make it 53-31. That began a spurt that saw WVU execute a 15-7 run.

Then, Pardee drilled another shot from the perimeter at the 2:24 mark of the third quarter to extend the lead to 63-36, and set a new career high in points with 20.

In all, WVU shot 9-of-11 from the field in the third quarter to take a 69-44 lead into the final frame.

From there, the Mountaineers outscored North Florida, 18-15, in the fourth quarter to reach the finish line. Along with Muldrow and Pardee, senior forward Kristina King finished with 12 points, while junior guard Naomi Davenport added 11, going 7-of-8 at the free-throw line.

Muldrow tied a career high with a trio of blocks, and just missed out on her third double-double of the season with nine rebounds.

WVU shot 31-of-59 for the game, good for 53 percent. The Mountaineers made nine 3-pointers as a team in the win, while dominating on the boards, 47-22. Defensively, WVU held the Ospreys to just nine percent (1-for-11) from beyond the arc.

The Mountaineers return to the court on Thursday, Nov. 23, when they begin play at Paradise Jam, in Melbourne, Florida. Tipoff is set for 12 p.m. ET against Butler.

Notes: With the win, West Virginia improves to 2-0 all-time against North Florida … the Mountaineers' only other meeting against the Ospreys was an 83-30 win in 2011 … WVU improved to 5-0 against members of the Atlantic Sun Conference … Katrina Pardee's 20 points are a new career high … Pardee also tied a career high in field goals made (7) and 3-point field goals (4) … Chania Ray's 11 rebounds are a new career high … Ray also added a season-best 10 assists … after Teana Muldrow's 20 points, she has now scored in double-figures 60 times in her career … Muldrow registered a rebound for the 76th consecutive game and made a field goal for the 48th straight game … she tied her career high for the eighth time with three blocks … WVU shot 9-of-11 (81%) in the third quarter, the highest percentage in a quarter this season … the Mountaineers' nonconference home win streak improved to 35 with the win.