Thursday, November 7
Morgantown, W.Va.
7:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
vs
Saint Francis
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
WVU Set for Season Opener Thursday
November 06, 2019 05:07 PM | Women's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University women's basketball team will open the 2019-20 season on Thursday when the Mountaineers welcome the Saint Francis Red Flash (0-1) to the WVU Coliseum in a 7 p.m. tipoff.
Dan Zangrilli and Ayana Dunning will have the call for the Mountaineer Sports Network from Learfield IMG College. The game will air locally on 95.7 FM/920 AM and can also be found on the TuneIn Radio app and WVUsports.com. A free live stream is available on WVUsports.com.
Single-game tickets are $5 each and $3 for groups of 10 or more when purchased in advance at WVUGAME.com. At the WVU Coliseum ticket window, tickets will be $7 for adults, $5 for youth and seniors and $3 for groups. The discounted online pricing will be available until tipoff. WVU students, Carey's Crew and Mountaineer Kids Club Members receive free admission with a valid ID.
The Mountaineers, who finished the 2018-19 season at 22-11, will don gold shoelaces as part of Lace Up 4 Pediatric Cancer Awareness. Those in attendance will receive gold shakers while supplies last.
Fans who bring school supplies to donate to the Cancun Challenge will receive a free ticket to a future contest. The Cancun Challenge works with the Seaside Rotary Club to collect items of need for local school children in Cancun through the Keeping Kids in School (KKIS) Project. Fans are encouraged to donate pencils, colored pencils (packs of 24), erasers (white or pink), ballpoint pens (black, blue or red), glue sticks, simple calculators, USB drives (8g or better) and pocket folders. Please do not bring notebooks or crayons to donate.
West Virginia will look to win its sixth straight season opener when the Red Flash come to town on Thursday. The team returns five players from last season's lineup, including Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year Kari Niblack and Big 12 All-Freshman Team honoree Madisen Smith. Senior guard Lucky Rudd will cap her WVU career donning the "C" as a team co-captain, while redshirt junior guard Kysre Gondrezick also returns. Redshirt senior guard Tynice Martin is currently suspended.
Additionally, redshirt freshman center Rochelle Norris will make her Gold and Blue debut after missing the 2018-19 season due to injury.
The Mountaineers added several newcomers to the roster in the offseason. Junior college transfer Blessing Ejiofor is expected to get the start at center, while fellow junior college transfer Arleighshya McElroy will also see playing time. Her Trinity Valley Community College teammate Jada Wright has joined her in Morgantown but is out indefinitely as she rehabs a knee injury suffered last season.
West Virginia also boasts a pair of true freshmen on the roster in forward Esmery Martinez, who hails from the Dominican Republic, and guard Kirsten Deans, who joins the Mountaineers after completing her AAU career under the guidance of Delaney Rudd, father of Lucky, in North Carolina.
The Mountaineers and the Red Flash meet for the sixth time in program history. The two first met in 2004 and last met Dec. 29, 2014. West Virginia owns a 5-0 lead in the series, with all games at the WVU Coliseum
Saint Francis enters the contest at 0-1 on the year after falling to Virginia Tech, 105-41. The Red Flash are under the direction of first-year head coach Keila Whittington.
Up next, WVU plays host to Presbyterian on Sunday in a 2 p.m. tip at the WVU Coliseum.
Dan Zangrilli and Ayana Dunning will have the call for the Mountaineer Sports Network from Learfield IMG College. The game will air locally on 95.7 FM/920 AM and can also be found on the TuneIn Radio app and WVUsports.com. A free live stream is available on WVUsports.com.
Single-game tickets are $5 each and $3 for groups of 10 or more when purchased in advance at WVUGAME.com. At the WVU Coliseum ticket window, tickets will be $7 for adults, $5 for youth and seniors and $3 for groups. The discounted online pricing will be available until tipoff. WVU students, Carey's Crew and Mountaineer Kids Club Members receive free admission with a valid ID.
The Mountaineers, who finished the 2018-19 season at 22-11, will don gold shoelaces as part of Lace Up 4 Pediatric Cancer Awareness. Those in attendance will receive gold shakers while supplies last.
Fans who bring school supplies to donate to the Cancun Challenge will receive a free ticket to a future contest. The Cancun Challenge works with the Seaside Rotary Club to collect items of need for local school children in Cancun through the Keeping Kids in School (KKIS) Project. Fans are encouraged to donate pencils, colored pencils (packs of 24), erasers (white or pink), ballpoint pens (black, blue or red), glue sticks, simple calculators, USB drives (8g or better) and pocket folders. Please do not bring notebooks or crayons to donate.
West Virginia will look to win its sixth straight season opener when the Red Flash come to town on Thursday. The team returns five players from last season's lineup, including Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year Kari Niblack and Big 12 All-Freshman Team honoree Madisen Smith. Senior guard Lucky Rudd will cap her WVU career donning the "C" as a team co-captain, while redshirt junior guard Kysre Gondrezick also returns. Redshirt senior guard Tynice Martin is currently suspended.
Additionally, redshirt freshman center Rochelle Norris will make her Gold and Blue debut after missing the 2018-19 season due to injury.
The Mountaineers added several newcomers to the roster in the offseason. Junior college transfer Blessing Ejiofor is expected to get the start at center, while fellow junior college transfer Arleighshya McElroy will also see playing time. Her Trinity Valley Community College teammate Jada Wright has joined her in Morgantown but is out indefinitely as she rehabs a knee injury suffered last season.
West Virginia also boasts a pair of true freshmen on the roster in forward Esmery Martinez, who hails from the Dominican Republic, and guard Kirsten Deans, who joins the Mountaineers after completing her AAU career under the guidance of Delaney Rudd, father of Lucky, in North Carolina.
The Mountaineers and the Red Flash meet for the sixth time in program history. The two first met in 2004 and last met Dec. 29, 2014. West Virginia owns a 5-0 lead in the series, with all games at the WVU Coliseum
Saint Francis enters the contest at 0-1 on the year after falling to Virginia Tech, 105-41. The Red Flash are under the direction of first-year head coach Keila Whittington.
Up next, WVU plays host to Presbyterian on Sunday in a 2 p.m. tip at the WVU Coliseum.
Players Mentioned
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