MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Following a two-game road trip to Cancun, Mexico, the West Virginia University women’s basketball team returns to Morgantown on Wednesday, Nov. 30, to take on North Carolina Central.
Tipoff against the Eagles is set for 7 p.m. ET, inside the WVU Coliseum, with gates opening at 6 p.m. Wednesday’s contest against NC Central will be broadcast live on the Mountaineer Sports Network, including 100.9 WSZT-FM, with Andrew Caridi and John Antonik on the call. Fans also can listen to the game on the Varsity Network App.
Additionally, Wednesday’s game will be broadcast on Big 12 Now, with Nick Farrell and Meg Bulger on the call. Live stats and game notes are available on WVUsports.com.
Tickets for Wednesday’s contest can be purchased at WVUGAME.com or by visiting the Mountaineer Ticket Office, located inside the Gold Gate of the WVU Coliseum.
In the spirit of holiday giving, Wednesday’s game will include the Mountaineer Toy Drive. Fans are encouraged to help build the annual Toy Mountain, by donating unwrapped toys valued at $5 or more. Each fan who donates at least one toy will receive one (1) complimentary general admission ticket, valid for any remaining WVU women’s basketball home, regular-season contest.
West Virginia (4-1) and North Carolina Central (2-5) meet for the fourth time on Wednesday. Additionally, the contest marks the second consecutive matchup between the two teams in Morgantown, where WVU is 2-0.
The two teams last met on Nov. 20, 2011, when WVU picked up a 97-24 win inside the Coliseum.
The Mountaineers are averaging 79.3 points per game in the series with the Eagles and have scored at least 70 points in each of the previous three meetings. Additionally, West Virginia has held NC Central to 31.3 points per game in the series.
NC Central comes into Wednesday’s game after falling to Elon, 77-68, on Nov. 27, inside McDougald-McLendon Arena in Durham, North Carolina. After winning its season opener over Johnson C. Smith, 69-56, on Nov. 7, NCCU has dropped five of its last six games.
NC Central features two double-digit scorers, including Jerni Kiaku, who is averaging a team-high 10.7 points per game. She is joined in double figures by Kimeira Burks, who is scoring 10 points per game. Aniya Finger is pacing the Eagles on the glass, with 6.8 rebounds per game.
NC Central is led by sixth-year coach Trisha Stafford-Odom, who is 42-97 during her time in Durham.
WVU is coming off a trip to Cancun, Mexico, from Nov. 24-25, where the Mountaineers played a pair of games at the 2022 Cancun Challenge at the Hard Rock Resort Riviera Maya. West Virginia opened the tournament with a 64-33 win over Central Michigan on Nov. 24, before falling to No. 13/11 NC State, 78-40, on Nov. 25.
Sophomore guard JJ Quinerly led the team with 13 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game at the event, while shooting 48% from the floor, en route to being selected to the 2022 Cancun Challenge All-Tournament Team.
Fifth-year senior guard Madisen Smith is averaging a team-high 12.4 points per game this season and has finished in double digits in all five games in 2022-23.
The Greenville, South Carolina, native has 947 career points and needs 53 to reach 1,000. Smith is seeking to become the 39th 1,000-point scorer in program history.
Redshirt sophomore guard Kyah Watson is pacing WVU in rebounding, with six boards per game.