Mountaineers Down West Liberty in Exhibition

Tuesday, October 30

Morgantown, W.Va.

7:00 p.m.

West Virginia University

West Liberty

West Virginia

Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks

October 30, 2018 10:09 PM | Women's Basketball

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By: Ashley Bailey

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University women's basketball team outscored visiting West Liberty 46-21 in the second half to run away with an 88-53 victory in exhibition play at the WVU Coliseum on Tuesday night.

Four Mountaineers finished in double figures, led by senior guard/forward Naomi Davenport, who scored a game-high 18 points in the annual Haunted Hoops contest. Junior guard Tynice Martin had 15 points, going 6-of-9 in her return from injury, while sophomore Kysre Gondrezick had 12 points and four assists in her WVU debut. Senior center Theresa Ekhelar had 12 points, while freshmen Kari Niblack and Madisen Smith each had nine.

Give West Liberty credit. They came out the first quarter, and I guess we didn't believe they could shoot it. After about eight (shots), you think we would believe that, but we didn't. I thought after that we got out a little bit. Too many turnovers. We didn't reverse the ball. Defensively, too many easy things. I will say, I thought the two freshmen, for their first game, did a pretty good job. I thought Madisen (Smith) did a good job, and I thought Kari (Niblack) did a pretty good job. I was happy with the two freshmen, and with what they did on the floor"

Martin gave the Mountaineers a 2-0 lead just over a minute into the first, hitting a jumper for her first unofficial points in more than a year. The two teams traded buckets early on before layups from Gondrezick and Niblack put WVU's advantage at 12-6 with 5:39 to play in the first quarter.

A 3-pointer kept things close for West Liberty, before a layup by Davenport and trey from Martin padded the WVU lead once again. Davenport hit a layup, drawing the foul and sinking the free throw to keep the Mountaineers on top, 21-12, with just over three minutes to play in the frame.

However, West Liberty limited the Mountaineers to just one point in the remainder of the quarter, using back-to-back treys to cut the WVU lead to one at 22-21 to cap the first.

West Liberty used a layup for a 23-22 lead to start the second quarter before WVU countered with a Katrina Pardee jumper. Neither team broke away across the next few possessions. Davenport scored a pair in the paint, then had a steal that led to a fast-break layup by Gondrezick for a 38-30 Mountaineer lead with 2:19 remaining.

Smith hit a jumper, while sophomore guard Nia Staples added a fast-break layup as West Virginia ended the half with a 42-32 advantage.

Ekhelar started the scoring for WVU in the third quarter before Davenport picked up a pair at the line, then added two in the paint for 15-point West Virginia advantage at 48-33. A trey from Smith kept the lead at 13 as the Mountaineers led 55-42 midway through the third.

A Martin jumper stretched the advantage to 15 before Niblack hit a layup and the point after to make a 17-point advantage for the Mountaineers, who then took a 19-point lead on a layup by Davenport. Smith added two more in the paint and Davenport scored a fast-break layup for a 66-43 WVU lead heading into the fourth quarter.

West Virginia started the fourth quarter on a 7-0 run, taking a 73-43 lead on a Gondrezick layup with 8:41 to play. Niblack stretched the lead to 34 with a layup with 5:35 to play.

WVU went on to lead by as many as 40, as all nine Mountaineers that entered the game registered points.

WVU led in nearly every category, including having a 41-24 edge in total rebounds. The Mountaineers also forced 29 West Liberty turnovers, shot 58.1 percent (36-of-62) from the field and made nine 3's.

The Hilltoppers, who were led by Olivia Belknap's 15 points, shot 36.5 percent (19-of-52) as a team.

West Virginia officially opens the 2018-19 campaign when the Mountaineers host Coppin State on Tuesday, Nov. 6. Tipoff at the WVU Coliseum is set for 7 p.m. ET.