Thursday, December 21
Morgantown, W.Va.
7:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
vs
Morehead State
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
WVU Caps Nonconference Play vs. Morehead State
December 20, 2017 04:57 PM | Women's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The undefeated and No. 9-ranked West Virginia University women's basketball team will cap its nonconference slate on Thursday when the Mountaineers welcome Morehead State to the WVU Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
In addition to the Eagles, Santa will be in town as part of Christmas at the Coliseum. Santa will be available for photos at the Mountaineer Gate from 6-7 p.m. A Christmas craft station will take place at the Mountaineer Lounge at that time as well. The first 500 fans inside will receive a free ugly Christmas sweater t-shirt.
Tickets are available at WVUGame.com, by calling 1-800-WVU-GAME or at the Mountaineer Ticket Office, located at the Gold Gate of the WVU Coliseum. The cost is $5 for general admission and $3 for youths/seniors and groups of 10 or more.
Lanny Frattare and Ayana Dunning will have the call for the Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG. Fans can listen on Jack-FM 100.9 in the Morgantown/Fairmont area, as well as WVUsports.com, the WVU Gameday app, the TuneIn Radio App and various affiliates across the state.
The Mountaineers (11-0) have the opportunity to close their nonconference home slate undefeated for the 11th time under Coach Mike Carey. West Virginia has won 38 straight nonconference games inside the Coliseum, and is coming off an 84-41 win over Morgan State at home on Monday. The Mountaineers held the Bears to just four points in the first quarter, tying the program record for fewest points allowed for the fifth time.
"Our defense needs to continue to get better," Carey said. "Offensively, we need to have better ball movement. I'm proud of the players. We've been through a lot with injuries and all that. We've got the opportunity to be 12-0 going into conference play, and that's great with all the stuff that we've had take place first semester."
Junior guard Katrina Pardee made a career-best eight field goals on her way to 21 points in the win. Redshirt junior center Theresa Ekhelar saw her first career start, picking up eight points and eight rebounds in the win. Senior forward Teana Muldrow posted her ninth 20-point performance of the season with 25 points, while Pardee recorded her second. Muldrow needs just one offensive rebound to enter the all-time top 10 in that category. In addition, she has now made 14 straight free-throws after going 5-for-5 against the Bears.
Following Monday's game, Carey announced that starting forward Kristina King would miss 4-6 weeks after sustaining an injury on Dec. 16 against Radford.
Morehead State enters the matchup with a 9-3 overall mark and claimed a 73-59 win over St. Francis Brooklyn in New York on Tuesday. Thursday marks the fifth straight road game for the Eagles, who first hit the road on Dec. 2 at Lipscomb.
Under the direction of fourth-year head coach Greg Todd, the Eagles average 79.1 points and 49.3 rebounds per game and are shooting 41.7 percent from the field. All five starters average in double-figure scoring, led by Miranda Crickett's 15.3 points per game. Tierra McGowan averages a double-double per game at 14.9 points and 12.7 rebounds per game.
Both teams bring win streaks into the matchup. Following an 86-53 loss at Kentucky on Nov. 22, the Eagles have won seven straight, while the Mountaineers have started the season with 11 consecutive victories.
Earlier this week, the Mountaineers moved up one spot to rank at No. 9 in the latest AP Poll. WVU jumped two spots to enter the top 10 of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll on Tuesday, ranking at No. 9. It marks the first time since 2014 WVU has ranked in the top 10 of the USA TODAY Poll. West Virginia is the only school in the nation to have both its men and women's basketball teams ranks inside the top 10 of the AP Poll.
Following the holiday break, WVU heads to Texas for a pair of Big 12 games. The Mountaineers open league play at TCU on Dec. 28 in a 5:30 p.m. tilt in Fort Worth. They'll then face the No. 8 Texas Longhorns in Austin on Dec. 31.
In addition to the Eagles, Santa will be in town as part of Christmas at the Coliseum. Santa will be available for photos at the Mountaineer Gate from 6-7 p.m. A Christmas craft station will take place at the Mountaineer Lounge at that time as well. The first 500 fans inside will receive a free ugly Christmas sweater t-shirt.
Tickets are available at WVUGame.com, by calling 1-800-WVU-GAME or at the Mountaineer Ticket Office, located at the Gold Gate of the WVU Coliseum. The cost is $5 for general admission and $3 for youths/seniors and groups of 10 or more.
Lanny Frattare and Ayana Dunning will have the call for the Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG. Fans can listen on Jack-FM 100.9 in the Morgantown/Fairmont area, as well as WVUsports.com, the WVU Gameday app, the TuneIn Radio App and various affiliates across the state.
The Mountaineers (11-0) have the opportunity to close their nonconference home slate undefeated for the 11th time under Coach Mike Carey. West Virginia has won 38 straight nonconference games inside the Coliseum, and is coming off an 84-41 win over Morgan State at home on Monday. The Mountaineers held the Bears to just four points in the first quarter, tying the program record for fewest points allowed for the fifth time.
"Our defense needs to continue to get better," Carey said. "Offensively, we need to have better ball movement. I'm proud of the players. We've been through a lot with injuries and all that. We've got the opportunity to be 12-0 going into conference play, and that's great with all the stuff that we've had take place first semester."
Junior guard Katrina Pardee made a career-best eight field goals on her way to 21 points in the win. Redshirt junior center Theresa Ekhelar saw her first career start, picking up eight points and eight rebounds in the win. Senior forward Teana Muldrow posted her ninth 20-point performance of the season with 25 points, while Pardee recorded her second. Muldrow needs just one offensive rebound to enter the all-time top 10 in that category. In addition, she has now made 14 straight free-throws after going 5-for-5 against the Bears.
Following Monday's game, Carey announced that starting forward Kristina King would miss 4-6 weeks after sustaining an injury on Dec. 16 against Radford.
Morehead State enters the matchup with a 9-3 overall mark and claimed a 73-59 win over St. Francis Brooklyn in New York on Tuesday. Thursday marks the fifth straight road game for the Eagles, who first hit the road on Dec. 2 at Lipscomb.
Under the direction of fourth-year head coach Greg Todd, the Eagles average 79.1 points and 49.3 rebounds per game and are shooting 41.7 percent from the field. All five starters average in double-figure scoring, led by Miranda Crickett's 15.3 points per game. Tierra McGowan averages a double-double per game at 14.9 points and 12.7 rebounds per game.
Both teams bring win streaks into the matchup. Following an 86-53 loss at Kentucky on Nov. 22, the Eagles have won seven straight, while the Mountaineers have started the season with 11 consecutive victories.
Earlier this week, the Mountaineers moved up one spot to rank at No. 9 in the latest AP Poll. WVU jumped two spots to enter the top 10 of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll on Tuesday, ranking at No. 9. It marks the first time since 2014 WVU has ranked in the top 10 of the USA TODAY Poll. West Virginia is the only school in the nation to have both its men and women's basketball teams ranks inside the top 10 of the AP Poll.
Following the holiday break, WVU heads to Texas for a pair of Big 12 games. The Mountaineers open league play at TCU on Dec. 28 in a 5:30 p.m. tilt in Fort Worth. They'll then face the No. 8 Texas Longhorns in Austin on Dec. 31.
Players Mentioned
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