WVU Win Streak Halted at Texas

Sunday, December 31

Austin, Texas

4:30 p.m.

West Virginia University

13-1, 1-1

Texas

11-1, 2-0

West Virginia

Texas

Photo by: Jim Crawford/Paradise Jam

December 31, 2017 07:39 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score Season Stats

By: Ashley Bailey

AUSTIN, Texas – Despite another 20-point performance from junior guard Naomi Davenport, the No. 9 West Virginia women's basketball team struggled offensively as its win streak ended with a 79-58 loss at No. 8 Texas at Frank Erwin Center on Sunday.

The Mountaineers (13-1, 1-1) shot just under 32 percent from the field and dropped the battle of the boards, 63-30, to the Longhorns (11-1, 2-0). WVU forced UT into 24 turnovers with 15 steals on the day.

"They were a lot more physical," WVU coach Mike Carey said. "(They) wanted the ball a lot more than we did. We shied away. Of course, we have half our team not playing, but that's no excuse. I thought we would be more physical and play, would battle them in the paint and we didn't do it."

Davenport led the team with 20 points, going 8-of-25 overall and sinking three perimeter shots. She just missed a double-double, grabbing a team-high nine rebounds.

Senior guard Chania Ray made a trio of 3-pointers on her way to 15 total points, while senior forward Teana Muldrow had 13 points and a career-high six blocks. Freshman forward Destiny Harden went 3-for-3 on the day for six points with a pair of steals.

The Mountaineers struggled to find an offensive rhythm in the first quarter. An early trey by Ray kept things close with WVU trailing 5-4 before Muldrow added another to tie the score at 7-7 with 6:58 to play in the first. The Longhorns scored eight unanswered points to lead 15-7 before Ray added her second triple to cut the WVU deficit to five. Texas hit the free-throw line, making 1-of-2, as the Mountaineers ended the first quarter trailing 18-13.

Davenport started the second quarter with a free-throw, then a layup for WVU, who trailed 16-21 just two minutes in. A 6-0 run by Texas put the Mountaineer deficit at nine points, as they found themselves on the wrong end of the 29-20 score. Ray hit the free-throw line for a pair, but WVU couldn't score from the field, shooting just 20 percent in the quarter to trail 33-22 at the half.

The Longhorns used a 12-0 run at the start of the third quarter to take a 47-22 advantage. A jumper by Muldrow put the Mountaineers on the board midway through the period. Davenport added a layup and a 3-pointer, but West Virginia remained in a 25-point hole at the end of the third, down 57-32.

Davenport countered a Texas triple with one of her own to start the fourth quarter, adding a layup and another 3-pointer as WVU trailed 69-44 midway through. She then nailed a jumper from the paint as the Mountaineers finished the game on a 6-0 run as they dropped the tilt 79-58.

West Virginia will return home to regroup before hosting K-State on Wednesday in a 7 p.m. tip at the WVU Coliseum. Tickets are available at WVUGAME.com, by calling 1-800-WVU-GAME or at the Mountaineer Ticket Office at the WVU Coliseum. The first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a free mini replica Big 12 Tournament Championship banner.