MORGANTOWN — The No. 22-ranked WVU women’s basketball team continues its season-opening, three-game homestand on Friday as the Mountaineers play host to Kennesaw State at the WVU Coliseum.
WVU won the first matchup in the series, defeating KSU 100-60 on Dec. 21, 2005, in Morgantown. In the last meeting against the Owls, WVU Sports Hall-of-Famers Meg Bulger and Olayinka Sanni scored 25 and 28 points, respectively, to lead the Mountaineers.
During the Mike Carey era, WVU is 49-3 at home in the month of November, including 1-0 this season. Over the last five seasons, the Mountaineers have tallied at least three home victories in November four times. West Virginia did not play at home in November 2020 due to a delayed start to the season brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
After opening the season with a 100-31 win over Thomas University, Kennesaw State has dropped its last two games to then-No. 17 Georgia Tech 72-45 on Nov. 9, and FIU 67-57 on Nov. 11. The Mountaineers will be the second ranked opponent the Owls face in their last three games.
West Virginia is coming off a season-opening 86-33 win over Saint Francis (Pa.) on Tuesday at the Coliseum. WVU dominated SFU from start to finish in a game that saw the Mountaineers hold the advantage for 39:26 and lead by as many as 54 points.
The Mountaineers currently lead the Big 12 in multiple statistical categories, including field-goal percentage (55.6%), free-throw percentage (82.4%), scoring defense (33.0), scoring margin (53.0), steals per game (21.0), turnover margin (20.0) and turnovers forced (35.0). Additionally, WVU leads the country in scoring defense and turnovers forced.
A number of Mountaineers also rank in the top five in the Big 12 in certain categories, including junior guard KK Deans, who leads the league in 3-point field goal percentage (100%) and steals per game (7.0). Senior guard Madisen Smith paces the Big 12 in assist-turnover ratio (5.0) and freshman guard JJ Quinerly leads the conference in field-goal percentage (83.3%). Of note, Quinerly also ranks No. 3 nationally in the category.
Tipoff is scheduled for noon. Friday’s contest against the Owls will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with Andrew Caridi, Meg Bulger and Amanda Mazey on the call. The game also can be found on the Mountaineer Sports Network, including 100.9 WSZT-FM, with Dan Zangrilli on the call. Live stats will be available on wvusports.com.
Friday’s contest is “Mountaineers Mean Business” Day, with a special ticket promotion for local businesses, who can purchase four tickets and a $10 concession voucher for $20.
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