Storylines –West Virginia State GameCoach David Smith's Yellow Jackets have dropped three consecutive games after winning their season opener 80-69 against Clarion University. Picked to finish 10th in the Mountain East Conference Preseason Poll, West Virginia State has struggled to put the ball in the basket from the outside in its first four games. The Yellow Jackets have made 11 of 61 3-point attempts, including a 1-11 outing in a 66-60 loss to Concord Saturday. Guards Aurreshae Hines and Laura Szorenyi have done most of the team's offensive damage. The duo has combined to average 27.8 points per contest while Hines has connected on 19 of 21 free throw attempts in the early going. Against Concord, West Virginia State was unable to hold a 28-24 halftime lead as the Mountain Lions scored 42 second half points. Hines scored a team-high 17 points in defeat to lead a trio of Yellow Jackets in double figure scoring. West Virginia State shot just 38.6 percent from the field in the game and is shooting 34.6 percent on the season. While limiting the Yellow Jackets' backcourt will be key for the Cavaliers, West Virginia State will have to do a better job on the boards. Entering Monday, the Yellow Jackets rank ninth in the league in rebounding margin at -6.5; meanwhile, UVa-Wise is third in the category at +2.0 a night. The game concludes a stretch of four out five at home to start the season for West Virginia State.
About UVa-WiseSenior
Kehana Grayer is playing the best ball of her collegiate career to start the season. Grayer is shooting 58.3 percent from the floor in her team's first two games while averaging 8.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and two assists. Most recently, she scored eight fourth quarter points in aiding the Cavaliers to a 68-60 win over the University of Charleston. Fellow senior
Blair Harding was pivotal in the victory over the Golden Eagles also; she connected on six 3-pointers and scored a game-high 22 points in the conference opener. A year ago, Harding scored 28 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and handed out five assists in an 87-48 home win over West Virginia State. The win completed a season sweep of the Yellow Jackets as the Cavs won 72-58 in Institute behind
Kayla Carey's 14-point, 13-rebound showing that included a career-high five blocks. Last season, the Cavs picked up six road wins; the game at West Virginia State will be the team's final road game of the 2015 calendar year. UVa-Wise wraps up 2015 with a four-game home stand before playing four straight away from the Prior Center in January. A win Monday would give UVa-Wise it's second 3-0 start under Coach
Kristin Kunzman, the Cavs also started 3-0 in November of 2013.
