Mike Carey is responsible for leading West Virginia’s women’s basketball program to 11 of its 13 NCAA Tournament appearances.
Yet under Carey, the Mountaineers have never reached the Sweet 16, something fourth-seeded West Virginia hopes to change at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday when it battles No. 5 seed Georgia Tech at UTSA Convocation Center. The game will air on ESPNU.
“It’s important, not just because of past teams, but because of this team,” Carey said. “This team wants to win and this team has played extremely hard and with a lot of heart the whole year. They deserve it. Hopefully we can play well and get the win.”
The Mountaineers (22-6) enter off a 77-53 win over Lehigh in Sunday’s NCAA Tournament opener. WVU took a 36-26 lead into halftime, before outscoring the Mountain Hawks 29-13 in the third quarter to put the game out of reach.
Guard Kysre Gondrezick scored 26 points to surpass 1,000 for her West Virginia career. Gondrezick, who made six three-pointers, also added seven rebounds, five assists and four steals.
While assuming WVU’s point guard duties in place of the injured Madisen Smith, Gondrezick continues to lead the Mountaineers offensively.
“She can put up the numbers and when she gets hot and gets in rhythm, she’s tough to guard,” Carey said.
Also in the victory over Lehigh, KK Deans finished 19 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals, while Esmery Martinez chipped in with a double double of 16 points and 11 boards.
West Virginia has played its last eight games without Smith, but she could return from an injury suffered in the team’s win over TCU on Februrary 20.
“(Athletic trainer Travis Randolph) let her go live (Monday) and actually she looked pretty good,” Carey said. “Of course her conditioning is not there. I asked her afterwards how she felt and said, ‘tell me the truth,’ because she really wants to play. We’ll see what happens.”
While the Mountaineers won their NCAA Tournament opener comfortably, Georgia Tech (16-8) fought its way back from a 17-point halftime deficit to edge Stephen F. Austin in overtime, 54-52.
The Yellow Jackets rallied thanks in large part to their defense, which limited the Ladyjacks to 18 total points after halftime. It was Georgia Tech’s first game since a loss to North Carolina State in the ACC Tournament back on March 6.
“Anytime you play in the NCAA Tournament, that first game is probably the most difficult one,” GT coach Nell Fortner said. “You’re getting your bearings and finding your way a little bit. Stephen F. Austin is a much better team than their seed represented. They played extremely hard and executed extremely well offensively.
“We’re a team that never stops or gives up and we fought our way back and finally started knocking down some shots when we had to have them.”
Lotta-Maj Lahtinen and Lorela Cubaj scored 14 points apiece for GT, while Kierra Fletcher added 11. Cubaj had a team-high 10 rebounds and Fletcher added nine.
Cubaj (6-foot-4) and Nerea Hermosa (6-5) provide the Yellow Jackets with plenty of height in the post.
“They have good size. They’re 6-5 and 6-4 inside which is something we’ve seen all year,” Carey said. “They have a couple shooters on the perimeter and a couple athletes. But we’re not real deep and neither are they, so whatever five or six players play the best will have an opportunity to win the game.”
The winner of Tuesday’s matchup will take on the winner of top seed South Carolina vs. No. 8 seed Oregon State in the Sweet 16.
The Yellow Jackets are 5-5 in their last 10 games. Georgia Tech and West Virginia did not have a common opponent this season and have not played since 2003. WVU has won both previous meetings.
“The team numbers are kind of similar if you look at field goal percentage and three-point percentage,” Fletcher said. “We can rely on our defense. I think we match up really well with them so it’ll be an interesting game.”
West Virginia’s only previous Sweet 16 appearance came in 1992, when the NCAA Tournament consisted of only 32 teams.