Jan. 6—MORGANTOWN — Two Big 12 teams will enter the Hope Coliseum on Wednesday yet to lose a game through the opening three contests of conference play. Still, only one will leave as the lone remaining team with a zero in the conference standings’ loss column.
The West Virginia women’s basketball team will host No. 17 Texas Tech for a 7 p.m. tip-off on Wednesday in a game that could make it feel like we are already in March.
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The Mountaineers (13-2, 3-0 Big 12) bring a seven-game win streak into the game and are coming off two solid wins over Kansas and Kansas State from last week’s road trip.
The Lady Raiders (16-0, 3-0 Big 12) are not only unbeaten through three games of conference play, but haven’t dropped a single contest through 16 games this season, with their signature win coming over then-ranked No. 15 Baylor, 61-60, a few days before Christmas.
“It was a great road trip from a win perspective, and we got better, ” WVU head coach Mark Kellogg said. “Now we turn around and are happy to be home and have a real challenge against a talented Texas Tech team, which is really solid defensively. They’ll pose a challenge on that end for us, but they’re also very talented offensively and can hurt you from the bench.”
Senior Gia Cooke leads WVU at 16.5 points per game. Cooke was a big reason for the opening win of the road trip with 24 points against Kansas on New Year’s Day, including six three-pointers. Sydney Shaw added 18 against the Jayhawks before another pair of Mountaineers led their team in the next game. Mimi Wheeler and Carter McCray combined for 33 of their team’s 60 points in a two-point win over Kansas State on Sunday, 60-58.
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“It’s nice knowing that any night we can have someone step up like that offensively, ” Kellogg said. “I like to use the term ‘hooping’ when someone has a hot hand or just can’t be stopped. That’s what Mimi was doing on Sunday: she was just hooping. I think the players know that too. They know that if it isn’t their night, they have teammates who can step up and knock down shots.”
Texas Tech is led in scoring by a non-starter, Snudda Collins, at 14.4 points per game. The senior is fifth in minutes and is one of three players averaging double figures.
“It can be a bit different when a team’s leading scorer comes off the bench, because you don’t really know when that will be, ” Kellogg said. “But she will definitely get some attention whenever that is. I don’t think we come into the game with a specific gameplan for her alone, but when she’s on the floor, we will have to be more aware of taking away space and making things difficult.”
The biggest threat is the defensive one the Lady Raiders bring to the floor, holding opponents to 52.1 points per game (seventh in D-I), while averaging over 10 steals and five blocks.
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“They’ll pick us up a little bit, they may trap early, they have some different looks they throw at you, ” Kellogg said. “Their ball-screen defense may change based on personnel, but they take away space and get in the way of passes, and also have a decent blocking ability inside. They’re just a very sound team that is clicking on all cylinders, especially on the defensive end.”
The winner of Wednesday’s contest will remain the only unbeaten team through just four games of conference play.
“Knowing that is just grounding, ” Cooke said. “It’s sort of humbling knowing that any night, any team in the league can come out and play its best game of the season against you. There truly isn’t a night off, and it does bring us back down to earth a bit, seeing what goes on nightly in the conference.”
The Mountaineers and Lady Raiders will tip off from the Hope Coliseum at 7:00 p.m.
