MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Fresh off an uninspiring victory against Cornell to end its non-conference season, Mike Carey wasted little time in giving the 19th-ranked West Virginia women’s basketball team its wake-up call.
“I think the girls knew that I wanted to hurry up and get into the gym,” Carey said on Thursday. “They came in with a lot of energy. We watched film, basically of the second half from the game the other night and then started practice. We went over a lot of the mistakes we made.”
Players said the lackluster six-point win against the Big Red had more to do with a long Christmas break, but the Mountaineers (10-1) have little room for error with the start of Big 12 play beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday on the road against Kansas State.
“I’m very excited and very interested to see how we do in the Big 12,” said WVU guard Tynice Martin, who enters the game needing six point to pass Kate Bulger for sixth place on the school’s all-time scoring list. “Everybody plays hard in the Big 12, and on any given night, anyone can win. Our younger players will have to learn that the hard way, just like I did when I was a freshman.”
Kansas State (6-5) was a nearly unsolvable equation for the Mountaineers last season.
WVU beat K-State by 30 points in the WVU Coliseum, but then gave up 90 points and lost by 11 in Manhattan. The Wildcats also won the Big 12 tournament meeting, 72-59.
“It’s a tough place to play,” Carey said of Bramlage Coliseum. “I think anytime you go on the road, it’s tough. Their gym and seating is straight up and it seems like everyone is on top of you.”
Kansas State’s Peyton Williams — an all-Big 12 first-teamer last season — averaged 16.7 points over those three games.
The 6-foot-4 forward is off to a good start again this season, averaging 15.0 points and 12.2 rebounds per game.
“It seems like she’s a sixth-year senior,” Carey said. “She’s been a great player for them for a long time.”
Williams is joined by redshirt freshman Akoya Lee, a 6-foot-5 forward averaging 15.5 points and 11.0 rebounds per game.
“She’s been freshman of the week in the Big 12 a number of times already,” Carey said of Lee. “We’ve watched film. She’s really, really big. She’s strong for a freshman, but I think we have some girls who can match up inside. At least better than we had last year.”
Williams and Lee will certainly be a test for WVU forwards Blessing Ejifor and Kari Niblack.
Carey also said that 6-5 freshman forward Rochelle Norris would be back in action against the Wildcats. Norris missed the last two games with an ankle sprain.
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