Sportsline with Tony Caridi  Watch |  Listen

Gondrezick nets 26 as WVU pulls away from Lehigh in NCAA opener

(Mike Carey postgame Zoom conference)

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Lengthy scoring runs to end the second and third quarters provided West Virginia all the cushion they needed to pull away from Lehigh, 77-53 in their NCAA first round matchup at Bill Greehey Arena in San Antonio.

West Virginia, the No. 4 seed in the Hemisfair Region, held Lehigh to a season-low point total. 30 of Lehigh’s 62 field goal attempts were from beyond the arc. They connected on just 10 three-point attempts.

“We had to honor our assignment and honor the scout,” said WVU senior guard Kysre Gondrezick. “I think we did that. Especially against a team like Lehigh, it was good for us to defend kind of like a Princeton offense set. In the tournament, you will face teams that run all types of things. I think that is one of the hardest offenses to guard.”

“We have to be sharper,” said WVU head coach Mike Carey. “We should have done a lot better defensively. We gave them some wide open looks.”

West Virginia led 15-13 after the first quarter. They erased an early 7-2 deficit by going on a 7-0 run. Both teams exchanged lengthy scoring runs in the second quarter. Gondrezick connected on back-to-back triples to give WVU a 23-15 lead. But the Mountain Hawks went on an 11-3 burst to even the score at 26.

West Virginia responded by scoring the final ten points of the half over the final 3:32 to take a 36-26 lead into the locker room. Gondrezick scored 11 points in the second stanza.

“I thought we took a bunch of bad shots in the first quarter. But I thought in the second quarter and in the third quarter we played a lot better. So we have to continue to get better,” Carey said.

“We started getting them to take bad shots, which led to us having some fast break opportunities. And we reversed the ball. This team, we have so many weapons. We have to trust each other and give each other the ball. When we do that, we are a pretty good team.”

The Mountaineers dominated play in the third quarter to effectively put the game out of reach. WVU outscored the Mountain Hawks 29-13. West Virginia closed the third on a 16-0 run.

Gondrezick led WVU with 26 points. She surpassed the 1,000-point mark for her WVU career in the third quarter. After missing her first five shots from the floor, Gondrezick connected on nine of her last ten.

“The first couple shots, they were forced,” Gondrezick said. “They weren’t good looks. I just had to calm down, play within the flow of the offense and just take what the defense gave me. The first two 3’s that got me going, they went behind. That’s my bread and butter, knocking down the three off the screen off the pick and roll. That got me going.”

KK Deans added 19 points and Esmery Martinez recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. West Virginia went 30-for-55 from the field and 8-of-15 from three-point range. The Mountaineers outrebounded the Mountain Hawks 40-30.

Emma Grothaus led Lehigh (10-6) with 14 points.

West Virginia (22-6) advances to face No. 5 seed Georgia Tech on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at UTSA Convocation Center.

The Yellow Jackets defeated Stephen F. Austin in overtime, 54-52 Sunday afternoon. Tech rallied from a 17-point halftime deficit, yielding just 18 points in the second half and overtime combined.

The Mountaineers played for the seventh consecutive game without starting point guard Madisen Smith. She suffered a groin injury in the TCU game on February 20.

“I don’t know if we will get Madisen Smith back, but if we do that will really help,” Carey said.

This was West Virginia’s 11th win all-time in NCAA Tournament play.





More Sports

Sports
Photo gallery: University defeats Bridgeport, 12-3
March 28, 2024 - 6:24 pm
Sports
Tucker DeVries prepares to shoulder challenges awaiting in Big 12
A two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, Tucker DeVries will spend his senior season at West Virginia. As he gets acclimated to a new program, DeVries' focus is on improving the health in his right shoulder after undergoing surgery on it Tuesday.
March 28, 2024 - 4:54 pm
Sports
Darian DeVries welcomed as West Virginia men's basketball coach
DeVries eager for what's to come in what marks second head coaching gig.
March 28, 2024 - 2:57 pm
Sports
Integrating new players, coaches a focus for Herd at start of spring practice
Head coach Charles Huff says learning who his team is a critical component of spring football.
March 28, 2024 - 8:47 am