MORGANTOWN, W. Va. - With double-figure scoring performances from three Mountaineers, the West Virginia University women's basketball team rolled past Elon, 84-36, at the Coliseum on Saturday afternoon.
The Phoenix (6-7) scored first on a layup from senior guard Aiesha Harper.
Ayana Dunning had 20 points and 15 rebounds to pace the Mountaineers of coach Mike Carey.
A dominant rebounding performance from West Virginia also helped the Mountaineers control the game, as West Virginia out-rebounded Elon, 55 caroms to 30.
A total of 26 offensive rebounds from the Mountaineers contributed to 22 second-chance points.
Plus, West Virginia's pressure defense forced Elon to commit 30 turnovers, allowing WVU to score 33 points from turnovers alone.
Dunning earned her second double-double of the season in the contest, scoring 20 points and pulling down a team-leading 15 rebounds for the Mountaineers in just 24 minutes of play.
"When Yaya goes after a rebound, not many people are going to take it from her," said coach Carey. "She goes and snatches that rebound."
Christal Caldwell posted a career-high 20 points and grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds to earn her first career double-double. Jessica Harlee added 10 points for WVU.
Marshall 60,
Ball State 58
MUNCIE, Ind. - The Marshall women's basketball team celebrated New Year 's Eve with a late comeback win over Ball State, 60-58. The Herd took the lead with 4:50 left in the game after trailing for the majority of the contest and secured the victory with a solid free throw performance in the closing minutes.
Marshall moved to 9-3, while Ball State dropped to 5-8.
Jasmine Shaw recorded 12 points in the game to lead the Herd, while Victoria Wells added 11 points and Alyse Poindexter finished with 10.
Erica Woods had one of the best games of the year on the boards, recording a career-high 14 rebounds. Nine of the grabs were on the offensive glass.
"It was a mental toughness win for us," said head coach Royce Chadwick. "It was a very gritty performance by a team that decided to lock it down in the last five minutes. The defense was spectacular in the last five minutes. Players stepped into roles when they needed to and made spectacular plays when they need to especially on defense."
