MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Reserve Kristina King scored 16 points to spark a huge bench performance and No. 16 West Virginia defeated Ole Miss 66-61 in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Sunday at the WVU Coliseum.
West Virginia (9-0) utilized a King layup and nine free throws in the final 1:13 to secure its 30th consecutive win over a nonconference opponent and 11th straight victory at the WVU Coliseum. The Mountaineers are off to their best start since opening 16-0 in the 2010-11 season.
Alexis Brewer added 12 points and Tynice Martin finished with 10 points and five rebounds.
King blocked four shots and grabbed nine boards to forge West Virginia’s 40-30 rebounding edge. The Mountaineers held a 34-18 edge in bench scoring.
“ I’d rather win ugly than lose pretty, and that was an ugly game with all of the turnovers and missed foul shots,” said WVU coach Mike Carey.
“I give credit to the bench. Kristina King came in and did some good things. It was good to see the bench contribute.”
An 8-2 run to start the third quarter gave Ole Miss (6-2) a brief lead. However, West Virginia used two free throws from Brewer and layups from Martin and King to regain the lead 34-30.
Taylor Manuel’s 13 points paced the Rebels.
The Mountaineers shot 53.5 percent (23-of-43) from the field and Ole Miss was limited to 32.2 percent (19-of-59), marking the 10th consecutive game that West Virginia has held its opponent to less than 40 percent.