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WVU basketball: Women topple JMU, St. John’s in NIT

By Matthew Peaslee

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 09: A basketball net, hoop, backboard and shot clock are shown before a semifinal game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament between the UCLA Bruins and the Arizona Wildcats at T-Mobile Arena on March 9, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Wildcats won 78-67 in overtime. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 09: A basketball net, hoop, backboard and shot clock are shown before a semifinal game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament between the UCLA Bruins and the Arizona Wildcats at T-Mobile Arena on March 9, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Wildcats won 78-67 in overtime. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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The WVU women’s basketball team is finally showing what it has been capable of all season long. The Mountaineers are putting together a great run in the WNIT.

West Virginia recently defeated James Madison and St. John’s and now faces rival Virginia Tech in the semifinals. What’s been nice about this run is that the WVU basketball team has been able to stay home and host games at the WVU Coliseum.

West Virginia beat the Dukes, 67-55, and toppled the Red Storm, 76-62. Virginia Tech is now in this position after beating Alabam, 74-67. The Hokies have also knocked off Navy, George Mason and Fordham in the postseason.

Against JMU, the Mountaineers were led by Kristina King who scored 17 points and Katrina Pardee, who added 16. The Mountaineers actually trailed after the first quarter but responded well with a 15-5 run in the second and they finished with a 19-7 run in the fourth quarter.

The Mountaineers held a 42-35 rebounding advantage against JMU and Teana Muldrow led that category with 10 boards. The defense also stepped up with 14 turnovers and seven steals. West Virginia had 12 points off turnovers. Kelly Koshuta led JMU with 22 points.

Against St. John’s, Muldrow led the way with a monstrous game. She scored 33 points, grabbed seven rebounds and created two steals. Pardee added 15 points and Naomi Davenport had 12. Chania Ray had eight assists to pace the offense and also chipped in with eight points.

The Mountaineers were actually outrebounded in this one with the Red Storm grabbing 34 rebounds to just 33 from the Mountaineers. The WVU basketball team made up the difference down low by scoring 32 points in the paint, compared to 22 by St. John’s. Leading St. John’s was Akina Wellere with 23 points.

Next: All-time WVU basketball team

The Mountaineers were prepared for this run by playing in the Big 12 Conference. Every game was a grind and there were some losses that should have been wins in the regular season. In this crunch time, the WVU basketball team is really showing how to close out games and play better all-around basketball.

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