Thursday, December 7
Morgantown, W.Va.
7:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
vs
Pitt
Photo by: Sam Craft/Texas A&M Athletics
Backyard Brawl Resumes Thursday in Morgantown
December 06, 2017 05:09 PM | Women's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The Backyard Brawl makes its return to women's basketball as the No. 10/11 West Virginia women's basketball team hosts Pitt on Thursday in a 7 p.m. tip at the WVU Coliseum.
Tickets are available 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 or $3 for youth/senior and groups of 10 or more. Students receive free admission with a WVU ID.
The Mountaineers will host a toy drive prior to tipoff. Fans are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy to receive a voucher for free admission to any future women's basketball game. The Mountaineer Maniacs will give away free "Beat Pitt" t-shirts to students attending the game while supplies last.
Dan Zangrilli and Ayana "YaYa" Dunning will have the radio call on Jack-FM:100.9 in Morgantown/Fairmont for the Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG. Fans can listen to various affiliates across the state, WVUsports.com, the WVU Gameday app and TuneIn. A free video stream will be provided at WVUsports.com.
Thursday marks the 46th edition of the Backyard Brawl between the former BIG EAST. The series first started on Jan. 19, 1974, with a 44-40 win by the Panthers in Pittsburgh. However, the most recent meeting came on Feb. 27, 2012, when WVU claimed a 60-42 victory in Morgantown. The Mountaineers enter Thursday's game with a 26-19 lead in the all-time series and a 13-7 advantage at home. They have won five of the previous six meetings.
Assistant coach Christal Caldwell and Dunning, currently the Coordinator of Player Development, were both WVU players at the time of the last meeting. Caldwell finished with seven points and a steal, while Dunning had five points and a team-high eight rebounds in the 44-40 win.
The Panthers enter the matchup with a 5-3 record after dropping back-to-back games to Wisconsin and Fordham. Under fifth-year coach Suzie McConnell-Serio, the Panthers are averaging 64.5 points per game and shooting 39.8 percent from the field. The team is led by Yacine Diop, who's averaged 16.0 points per game through eight games thus far. Kalista Walters averages 12.5 points per game and a team-best 7.5 rebounds per game, while Jasmine Whitney has a team-best 4.6 assists per game.
The Mountaineers cracked the AP Top 10 earlier this week, coming in at No. 10 in the latest AP Poll released on Monday. After downing Texas A&M as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge on Sunday, WVU brings a seven-game win streak into Thursday's tilt.
"Yesterday's practice was energetic," WVU coach Mike Carey said. "I think we'll come in with a lot of confidence, but we've got to come in and play hard just like we did against Texas A&M or we're not going to win this game. That's what they've got to understand."
Senior forward Teana Muldrow's 23.9 points and 9.1 rebounds per game lead the way for West Virginia. The remainder of WVU's five starters - junior guard/forward Naomi Davenport (14.3), junior guard Katrina Pardee (12.7), senior forward Kristina King (12.3) and senior guard Chania Ray (11.9) – all average in double figures as well. King ranks in the top five of the Big 12 with 2.0 blocks per game, while Ray averages 5.9 assists per game.
Up next, the Mountaineers welcome Coppin State to the Coliseum in a 2 p.m. tip on Sunday.
Tickets are available 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 or $3 for youth/senior and groups of 10 or more. Students receive free admission with a WVU ID.
The Mountaineers will host a toy drive prior to tipoff. Fans are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy to receive a voucher for free admission to any future women's basketball game. The Mountaineer Maniacs will give away free "Beat Pitt" t-shirts to students attending the game while supplies last.
Dan Zangrilli and Ayana "YaYa" Dunning will have the radio call on Jack-FM:100.9 in Morgantown/Fairmont for the Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG. Fans can listen to various affiliates across the state, WVUsports.com, the WVU Gameday app and TuneIn. A free video stream will be provided at WVUsports.com.
Thursday marks the 46th edition of the Backyard Brawl between the former BIG EAST. The series first started on Jan. 19, 1974, with a 44-40 win by the Panthers in Pittsburgh. However, the most recent meeting came on Feb. 27, 2012, when WVU claimed a 60-42 victory in Morgantown. The Mountaineers enter Thursday's game with a 26-19 lead in the all-time series and a 13-7 advantage at home. They have won five of the previous six meetings.
Assistant coach Christal Caldwell and Dunning, currently the Coordinator of Player Development, were both WVU players at the time of the last meeting. Caldwell finished with seven points and a steal, while Dunning had five points and a team-high eight rebounds in the 44-40 win.
The Panthers enter the matchup with a 5-3 record after dropping back-to-back games to Wisconsin and Fordham. Under fifth-year coach Suzie McConnell-Serio, the Panthers are averaging 64.5 points per game and shooting 39.8 percent from the field. The team is led by Yacine Diop, who's averaged 16.0 points per game through eight games thus far. Kalista Walters averages 12.5 points per game and a team-best 7.5 rebounds per game, while Jasmine Whitney has a team-best 4.6 assists per game.
The Mountaineers cracked the AP Top 10 earlier this week, coming in at No. 10 in the latest AP Poll released on Monday. After downing Texas A&M as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge on Sunday, WVU brings a seven-game win streak into Thursday's tilt.
"Yesterday's practice was energetic," WVU coach Mike Carey said. "I think we'll come in with a lot of confidence, but we've got to come in and play hard just like we did against Texas A&M or we're not going to win this game. That's what they've got to understand."
Senior forward Teana Muldrow's 23.9 points and 9.1 rebounds per game lead the way for West Virginia. The remainder of WVU's five starters - junior guard/forward Naomi Davenport (14.3), junior guard Katrina Pardee (12.7), senior forward Kristina King (12.3) and senior guard Chania Ray (11.9) – all average in double figures as well. King ranks in the top five of the Big 12 with 2.0 blocks per game, while Ray averages 5.9 assists per game.
Up next, the Mountaineers welcome Coppin State to the Coliseum in a 2 p.m. tip on Sunday.
Players Mentioned
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