WVU Downs Niagara in Nonconference Finale - West Virginia University Athletics

Saturday, December 29

Morgantown, W.Va.

2:00 p.m.

West Virginia University

9-2

Niagara

3-8

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Niagara	3	12	10	7	32
West Virginia	37	15	15	17	84

Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks

December 29, 2018 04:40 PM | Women's Basketball

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By: Ashley Bailey

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University women's basketball team used a 37-point first quarter to jump out to a big lead in a wire-to-wire, 84-32 win over visiting Niagara on Saturday afternoon at the WVU Coliseum.

The Mountaineers (9-2) closed nonconference play in grand fashion, setting or tying four program records in a historic first quarter. WVU led, 37-3, after 10 minutes en route to its fourth consecutive win, as senior guard Katrina Pardee led the way with a career-high-tying 28 points and seven rebounds.

"She's shooting the ball well, (and) plays good defense," coach Mike Carey said. "Katrina's come a long way and has become one of the leaders on the team. I'm very proud of her, very proud of her."

Freshman forward Kari Niblack earned her second career double-double in the win, finishing with 14 points and a career-best 14 rebounds, while senior guard/forward Naomi Davenport also posted a double-double with 11 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists.

After senior center Theresa Ekhelar opened the scoring for the Mountaineers, Davenport used a cross-court pass to find junior guard Lucky Rudd for an open 3-pointer. Then, freshman guard Madisen Smith registered an easy layup off a Niagara (3-8) turnover and Pardee hit her first triple of the day to give West Virginia a quick 10-0 lead.

Pardee made two more shots from beyond the arc in the opening frame, helping West Virginia to a 10-of-12 start from the field. Later, Smith dished off to Davenport on the low block to extend the lead to 20 at 22-2 with 5:02 to play in the first.

Pardee's third 3-pointer of the period came at the 2:55 mark, giving the Mountaineers a 29-2 lead. The Cedar Park, Texas, native finished with 15 first-quarter points, tying her own program record for the most points in a quarter from Dec. 28, 2018, at TCU.

WVU used a 25-0 run at one point to break the game open early, eventually taking a 37-3 lead into the second period. The Mountaineers set a program record for most points in a quarter (37), tied the team-best mark for fewest points allowed in a quarter (3) and most assists in a quarter (11).

The Mountaineers went on to outscore the Purple Eagles, 15-12, in the second frame, as Ekhelar, Pardee and Niblack combined to score 13 points in the period. Pardee made another 3 with 33 seconds to play until halftime, pushing the WVU advantage to 52-15.

Niagara missed seven consecutive shots to close the half and finished the first 20 minutes just 16.1 percent (5-of-31) from the floor. WVU, meanwhile, shot a sizzling 61.8 percent (21-of-34) in the first half.

Sophomore guard Nia Staples swished a 3-pointer to start the second half, which led to Pardee's fifth triple of the day at the 3:28 mark of the third period. That gave WVU a 40-point cushion at 63-23, before it finished the frame with a 67-25 advantage.

On the defensive end, the Mountaineers held the Purple Eagles without a field goal for the final 3:44 of the third period.

WVU went on to outscore Niagara, 17-7, in the fourth quarter, as Pardee matched her career high with her sixth 3-pointer with 8:21 to go in the game. The senior finished her hot-shooting day 9-of-11 from the field, including 6-of-8 from downtown.

In all, eight players found the score column for the Mountaineers, who finished 31-of-58 (53.4%) from the field in the win. WVU also made 14-of-17 attempts from the free-throw line and dominated on the glass, outrebounding NU, 56-32.

Niagara shot just 10-of-65 (15.4%) as a team and were led by Jai Moore's eight points.

The Mountaineers return to the floor to open Big 12 Conference play on Wednesday, Jan. 2, at TCU. Tipoff in Fort Worth, Texas, is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.

Notes: West Virginia and Niagara met for the first time on Saturday … the Mountaineers improved to 5-1 all-time against members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) … redshirt junior guard Tynice Martin missed Saturday's game as a precautionary measure … junior guard Katrina Pardee matched her career high in points (28) and 3-pointers (6) in the win … freshman forward Kari Niblack (14 points, career-high 14 rebounds) and senior guard/forward Naomi Davenport (11 points, 14 rebounds) became WVU's second double-double duo this season … the Mountaineers combined to finish with season highs in total rebounds (56) and assists (22) … WVU set or tied four program records in the first quarter, including most points in a quarter (37), fewest points allowed in a quarter (3), most points by a single player in a quarter (Pardee, 15) and assists in a quarter (11) … WVU improved to 101-18 at home in December.