Wednesday, March 27
Morgantown, W.Va.
7:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
vs
Northwestern
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
WVU Set for WNIT Third Round vs. Northwestern
March 26, 2019 05:32 PM | Women's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Continuing play in the 2019 Postseason WNIT, the West Virginia women's basketball team will host Northwestern on Wednesday in a 7 p.m. tipoff 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 on Jack-FM 100.9, as well as various affiliates across the state, the TuneIn Radio app and WVUsports.com. A free live stream is available on WVUsports.com.
Tickets are $6 if purchased in advance at WVUGAME.com. At the WVU Coliseum ticket window on Wednesday, tickets will be $8 dollars for adults, while youth tickets are $6. Carey's Crew and Mountaineer Kids Club members receive free admission courtesy of United Bank, while WVU students are also free. A valid WVU student ID, Carey's Crew or MKC membership card must be shown to receive the free ticket. A discounted group rate of $4 is available but must be purchased in advance.
Wednesday is Happy Hour, with half off all beverages from 6-7 p.m.
This week is the fourth all-time meeting between West Virginia (22-10) and Northwestern, with the Wildcats leading the series at 2-1. The 2019 season marks the third time in program history that WVU has advanced to the third round of the tournament. Two out of the previous three times, the squad has gone on to play in the title game.
The Mountaineers are coming off a 64-57 win over Villanova in the second round on Sunday. Senior forward Naomi Davenport had a team-high 25 points in the win, marking her second-straight 20-point effort. It was the sixth time this season she has put up 20 or more points in a contest. Redshirt junior guard Tynice Martin had 23 points for the second consecutive game, marking her 15th 20-point game of the season, while freshman forward Kari Niblack set a new career high with 16 rebounds, adding 13 points for her second straight double-double. It was her fourth double-double of the season.
West Virginia was called for just six personal fouls in the game. It marked a season low and their first time in single digits when it comes to fouls. Additionally, the Mountaineers hit just three 3-pointers in the contest, their second-lowest output of the season from beyond the arc.
"You get into Big 12 play and you play each other twice," coach Mike Carey said. "And they know every play you're doing. They call it before you call it and vice versa. I thought the other day playing Villanova, they were playing man, so we were able to run a lot of stuff and get good looks because they weren't used to defending us. This is going to be a little bit different because they're going to play a two-three matchup."
Northwestern enters the third round of the WNIT with an 18-14 overall record after posting a 9-9 mark in Big Ten play. The Wildcats average 66.1 points per game and 38.6 rebounds per contest and are shooting 40.0 percent from the field, 30.8 percent from beyond the arc and 68.9 percent from the free-throw line.
Three players average in double-figure scoring, led by Lindsey Pulliam's 16.5 points per game. Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah averages 11.1 points per game and leads the Wildcats' rebounding efforts at 10.8 rebounds per game. She also leads the way with 49 blocks. Abi Scheid posts 10.3 points per game and is second in rebounding at 4.7 boards per contest. Veronica Burton averages a team-best 3.6 assists per game and boasts a team-high 65 steals.
The winner of Wednesday's contest will advance to face either Ohio or Western Kentucky in the WNIT quarterfinals.
Dan Zangrilli and Ayana Dunning will have the call for the Mountaineer Sports Network from Learfield IMG College. The game will air on Jack-FM 100.9, as well as various affiliates across the state, the TuneIn Radio app and WVUsports.com. A free live stream is available on WVUsports.com.
Tickets are $6 if purchased in advance at WVUGAME.com. At the WVU Coliseum ticket window on Wednesday, tickets will be $8 dollars for adults, while youth tickets are $6. Carey's Crew and Mountaineer Kids Club members receive free admission courtesy of United Bank, while WVU students are also free. A valid WVU student ID, Carey's Crew or MKC membership card must be shown to receive the free ticket. A discounted group rate of $4 is available but must be purchased in advance.
Wednesday is Happy Hour, with half off all beverages from 6-7 p.m.
This week is the fourth all-time meeting between West Virginia (22-10) and Northwestern, with the Wildcats leading the series at 2-1. The 2019 season marks the third time in program history that WVU has advanced to the third round of the tournament. Two out of the previous three times, the squad has gone on to play in the title game.
The Mountaineers are coming off a 64-57 win over Villanova in the second round on Sunday. Senior forward Naomi Davenport had a team-high 25 points in the win, marking her second-straight 20-point effort. It was the sixth time this season she has put up 20 or more points in a contest. Redshirt junior guard Tynice Martin had 23 points for the second consecutive game, marking her 15th 20-point game of the season, while freshman forward Kari Niblack set a new career high with 16 rebounds, adding 13 points for her second straight double-double. It was her fourth double-double of the season.
West Virginia was called for just six personal fouls in the game. It marked a season low and their first time in single digits when it comes to fouls. Additionally, the Mountaineers hit just three 3-pointers in the contest, their second-lowest output of the season from beyond the arc.
"You get into Big 12 play and you play each other twice," coach Mike Carey said. "And they know every play you're doing. They call it before you call it and vice versa. I thought the other day playing Villanova, they were playing man, so we were able to run a lot of stuff and get good looks because they weren't used to defending us. This is going to be a little bit different because they're going to play a two-three matchup."
Northwestern enters the third round of the WNIT with an 18-14 overall record after posting a 9-9 mark in Big Ten play. The Wildcats average 66.1 points per game and 38.6 rebounds per contest and are shooting 40.0 percent from the field, 30.8 percent from beyond the arc and 68.9 percent from the free-throw line.
Three players average in double-figure scoring, led by Lindsey Pulliam's 16.5 points per game. Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah averages 11.1 points per game and leads the Wildcats' rebounding efforts at 10.8 rebounds per game. She also leads the way with 49 blocks. Abi Scheid posts 10.3 points per game and is second in rebounding at 4.7 boards per contest. Veronica Burton averages a team-best 3.6 assists per game and boasts a team-high 65 steals.
The winner of Wednesday's contest will advance to face either Ohio or Western Kentucky in the WNIT quarterfinals.
Players Mentioned
G/F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
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