Pratika blog

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Ayana Dunning scored 16 points and No. 9 West Virginia beat Marshall 78-21 Wednesday night, limiting the Thundering Herd to the fewest points in school history.

Freshman Taylor Palmer added 14 points for the Mountaineers (18-1), who earned their sixth straight win against their cross-state rival and improved to 34-16 overall against Marshall (5-12).

The previous low output for Marshall came in a 46-28 loss to Eastern Kentucky on Feb. 20, 1973. It also marked the worst defeat by Marshall to its northern neighbor. The previous was 81-39 in 1990.

Marshall, which dressed just eight players for the game due to injuries, shot just 11 percent (5 of 45) from the floor.

All 12 players scored for West Virginia, which had a 50-35 rebounding advantage and forced 28 turnovers.

Madina Ali, coming off a career-high 32 points Saturday against Syracuse, sat out nearly the entire second half as her teammates did the work in their final nonconference game. Ali finished with eight points in 11 minutes.

West Virginia's defense made Marshall work for every shot. Early on, the Thundering Herd spent most of their time passing around the perimeter and hit the rim on rare occasions before getting their first basket five minutes into the game.

The Mountaineers jumped ahead 10-0, made five of their first six 3-point tries and cruised into halftime with a 41-11 lead, marking the second straight year that West Virginia held Marshall under 15 points in the first half.

Marshall went more than 14 minutes between baskets spanning both halves. West Virginia poured it on with a 23-2 run in the second half.

West Virginia has won two straight since losing at Marquette last week. The Mountaineers return to Big East play on Sunday at home against South Florida before entering a tough stretch next week at No. 16 Georgetown and No. 13 DePaul.