West Virginia set to take on TCU

The West Virginia women’s basketball team will begin the semester with a matchup against TCU tonight at the West Virginia Coliseum. Today’s conference game is set to tip off at 7.

The Mountaineers will play TCU for the third time in program history. Their last meeting was in 2010 at the Paradise Jam, resulting in a West Virginia victory, 62-49. Tonight’s game will be the first time the Horned Frogs play at the Coliseum.

Entering his 14th season as head coach, Jeff Mittie leads the Horned Frogs. Senior Delisa Gross and junior Meagan Henson are the only two players on TCU’s current roster to have played WVU prior to tonight’s matchup.

The Horned Frogs enter tonight’s game coming off a road loss to No. 24 Iowa State, 68-52, increasing TCU’s losing streak to four games.

WVU senior center Ayana Dunning said she thinks TCU may be better than its record.

"You have to be focused and prepared for every game in the Big 12," she said. "We know that they are winless in the Big 12, but a couple of their losses are by one or two points. We know what this team is capable of."

During Saturday’s matchup, TCU outscored Iowa State off the bench 24-8, marking the third-straight game the Horned Frogs have outscored a conference team off the bench.

True Freshman Zahna Medley and sophomore guard Natalie Ventress lead the Horned Frogs in points per game, Medley averaging 13.3 and Ventress with 12.9. In Saturday’s game against Iowa State, freshman guard Kamy Cole made her first Big 12 start, averaging 9.9 points per game. Medley recorded 11 points, Cole recorded 9 points and sophomore Donielle Breauz recorded 7 points.

Ventress has hit 87.9 percent of her attempted free throws, 58-66, marking the second highest percentage in the league.

Defensively TCU junior Latricia Lovings has proven to be a key shot blocker for the Horned Frogs. Lovings has recorded 141 career blocks, and holds the third highest blocked shots
average, 5.2 per game. Lovings also leads the Horned Frogs in rebounds with 10.1 boards per game, ties her for the second highest average in the league this season.

This past weekend the Mountaineers improved their overall record to 10-5 after pulling off a conference win against Kansas State, 66-52. West Virginia currently holds a 2-2 record in the Big 12 Conference.

"I think our of games, especially in the Big 12, are big games. We can’t lose at home," Dunning said. "We have to take care of our home court."

The 14-point win against Kansas State marks the largest scoring margin in conference play this season. In three previous conference matchups the Mountaineers have won by four points or less.

In Saturday’s matchup the Mountaineers out-rebounded the Wildcats, 41-26. Junior guard Christal Caldwell led the Mountaineers with 19 points. Senior Ayana Dunning recorded 14 points added to WVU’s victory.

West Virginia’s leading scorers include Caldwell, Dunning and junior guard Taylor Palmer. The three players combine for 67 percent, 164/246 of West Virginia’s scoring in conference play. Caldwell averages 12.2 points per game, and Palmer averaging 11.9 points per game.