The West Virginia University women’s basketball team cruised to a 68-50 victory over Grand Canyon at the McCarthey Athletic Center in the third day of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Challenge. Tuesday’s victory gave coach Mike Carey his 300th career win at WVU.

 

The Mountaineers (3-2) jumped out to an eight point lead in the first quarter and never trailed in the contest. Grand Canyon (2-4) was limited to 14 first half points, as West Virginia snapped a two-game losing skid.

 

Carey is now two victories away from surpassing WVU legend Kittie Blakemore (301) as the program’s all-time wins leader. The Clarksburg native has produced a 300-163 record (.648) in 15 seasons at West Virginia.

 

“I’ve always said that you can’t achieve success without great players, coaches and staff,” explained Carey. “Without these individuals, 300 wins would not have been possible. We still need to improve our performance after tonight’s win, but it’s always good to get a victory.”

 

Bria Holmes netted a team-leading 14 points after connecting on 5-of-8 from the field. She has now scored 1,504 points in her career, which is tied with Jenny Hillen for 10th all-time on WVU’s scoring ledger.

 

Three freshmen put together strong performances in Tuesday’s triumph. Katrina Pardee registered double-figures for the third time this season with 10 points and five rebounds. Alexis Brewer and Tynice Martin each added eight points against GCU.

 

Offensively, West Virginia finished shooting 44.7 percent (21-of-47) from the field and 45.5 percent (5-of-11) from three-point range. The Mountaineers held GCU to 32.8 percent (19-of-58) shooting on the evening. WVU connected on 21-of-24 free throw opportunities for a season-high 87.5 percent. The Mountaineers snatched 34 rebounds, dished out 14 assists, collected eight steals and blocked six shots versus the Lopes.

 

Cheyenne Hendrington paced Grand Canyon with a game-high 23 points.

 

Pardee and Holmes both connected on treys to open the game for the Mountaineers, as WVU started with an 8-0 lead. The Mountaineers led 19-8 at the end of one quarter.

 

Martin’s layup at the 7:36 mark put the Mountaineers up 16 in the second quarter. Both teams were limited in scoring as WVU edged GCU 11-6 in the quarter. Both teams were held scoreless during the last five minutes of the period.

 

In the first half, WVU shot 45. 8 percent (11-of-24) while holding GCU to 17.1 percent (6-of-35). The Mountaineers controlled the rebound column, 24-18. WVU had three players with five or more points, including Holmes with six.

 

The Mountaineers opened the third quarter on a seven point spurt to push the lead to 21. GCU answered with a 6-0 run of their own. WVU held a 46-25 advantage after three periods of play. Grand Canyon climbed back in the fourth quarter by outscoring West Virginia, 25-22, in the final quarter.

 

West Virginia returns to action on Sunday, Nov. 29, when the Mountaineers host Yale in the last game of the Hall of Fame Challenge. The contest is slated for a 4 p.m. tip at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.