MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Mike Carey’s West Virginia women’s basketball team is perfecting the art of doing more with less.
When sharpshooting senior Katrina Pardee was carried off the floor after suffering a serious ankle injury against Oklahoma State on Jan. 9, the Mountaineers hopes of reaching the NCAA tournament took a grim turn. Not only was the team without its top three-point shooter for at least a month, but the Mountaineers were also down to eight able-bodied players.
Instead, the Mountaineers have rebounded when they should have caved. WVU (15-5, 6-3 Big 12) is 6-1 since Pardee’s injury against the Cowgirls, winning that game and five thereafter. The only loss was at No. 1 Baylor, and the crowning achievement was a 64-58 win at No. 12 Texas – West Virginia’s first road win over the Longhorns. WVU was already receiving votes in the Coaches Top 25 before the win over the Longhorns. The polls are released on Sundays.
“It was kind of surreal,” said junior guard Tynice Martin. “Honestly, I didn’t know that was our first time winning there. I just knew it was our first time winning since I’ve been here. But it was a big win for Coach Carey and for us. It gave confidence for the whole team.”
West Virginia will look to keep the momentum going at the expense of Kansas (11-7, 2-6) Sunday afternoon at WVU Coliseum.
Martin has played a huge role in the Mountaineers hot streak. In the six games Pardee has missed, Martin has sat a total of six minutes while averaging 20.3 points per game.
“Since my sophomore year we’ve been battling low numbers, and once KP got out we got together and said ‘You know, we’ve got to do this for her,’” Martin said. “Nobody cares what we’re going through.”
With so few players available, Martin is not the only one elevating her game.
“The biggest thing on this team is that everyone knows their role,” Carey said. “Before, I think we had a lot of guards who could score and everyone was trying to get theirs. Right now we’re limited. So everyone understands who needs to take the shots, who needs to set the picks and do the other things.
“These girls have done a great job. They’ve been very focused. They understand we only have eight, and everybody has to contribute. If you’re sick or have something hurting, you have to play. We only have eight players. Give them a lot of credit. It takes a lot of heart and dedication. If somebody told me with everything going on that we’d be 6-3 in the Big 12, I’d say they were crazy.”