MORGANTOWN — West Virginia has found a saving grace in its pressure defense.
The rest, according to head coach Dawn Plitzuweit, is still a work in progress.
The Mountaineers ran past Winthrop on Thursday morning, 70-48, in front of 6,640 fans and energetic elementary school children in the Coliseum celebrating Education Day.
It was the ninth-largest crowd for a WVU women’s game.
WVU (2-0) accomplished the win by forcing 30 turnovers and recording 13 steals.
That’s the Mountaineers’ calling card to this point. Through two games, WVU has forced 71 turnovers and has stolen the ball 33 times.
“We’ve focused on getting stops on the defensive end,” said WVU guard Jayla Hemingway, who had 12 points and four rebounds. “I feel like that’s the best way to get the offense going by getting turnovers and getting out in transition.”
So far, mission accomplished.
As for the rest, West Virginia is still putting it together.
The Mountaineers are shooting just 26% from 3-point range. They were just 2 of 12 from behind the arc in the first half against the Eagles (0-4), with a 10 a.m. start time playing a role in that.
“My alarm was set for 5:15 this morning,” Hemingway said. “I’m not a morning person. It took us some time to get going.”
West Virginia’s rebounding advantage is just a plus four (+4) on the season, and Winthrop and WVU both snagged 32 boards.
“We’ve still got a lot to learn and a lot to get better at,” Plitzuweit said. “It’s hard to understand everything at one time. They’re doing what we ask them to do, but we have to get a little more efficient.”
WVU got going in the second half, as Madisen Smith eventually got her long-range shot going, and WVU started getting the ball inside.
“We were trying to work for a good shot, and in the first half, we took a lot of quick tough shots,” Plitzuweit said. “If we’re going to take tough shots, we can get those at the end of the shot clock. We want to work for good shots, and (Madisen) got a good shot to go in. Then she made a tough shot and then she was feeling it.”
Smith finished with 15 points, 13 coming in the second half.
“She’s someone who has a scorer’s mentality, which is a great asset for us,” Plitzuweit said. “Understanding what good opportunities are is important. I think that’s something we’re all working on.”
In all, 10 players scored for the Mountaineers, who host Appalachian State at 1 p.m. Sunday, before heading off to the Cancun Challenge.
Winthrop forward Paige Powell led the Eagles with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
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