MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Behind a balanced scoring attack, 51 percent shooting and a stifling defense, West Virginia defeated Radford, 64-28, Wednesday evening from WVU Coliseum.

Box Score | Archived Audio

All 10 players scored for the Mountaineers led by Liz Repella's 13 points. Sarah Miles and Corinne Campbell added 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Junior Denay Wood (Bailey's Crossroads, Va./Annandale) was the lone Highlander in double figures with 10 points. She was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line and the Highlanders were 10-13 for the contest. She also recorded five rebounds and four steals.

“Denay was everywhere tonight,” commented head coach Tajama Abraham Ngongba. “She's a fighter and won't quit. She made a lot of plays that don't show up on the stat sheet. I was really proud of her.”

West Virginia raced out to an 11-0 lead behind five different scorers in the first 5:52 of the game. Junior Kaylyn Crosier (South Charleston, W.Va./South Charleston) broke the ice for Radford draining a short baseline jumper at 13:29. For Crosier, it was the first time she played in her home state since her senior year of high school.

After the slow start, Radford's defense and precise free throw shooting helped the them get back into the game with under five minutes to go in the half. The Highlander finished the first half 10-10 from the charity stripe.

Eight straight Highlander free throws, six by Wood, highlighted a 10-4 run to get Radford within 22-12 at 4:42. During the run, Radford held WVU scoreless for a 4:17 span.

Following an old-fashioned three-point play by Repella, a runner by Crosier and two more freebees by freshman Da'Naria Erwin Spencer (Charlotte, N.C./East Mecklenburg) cut West Virginia's lead to nine (25-16) at 22.

However, the Mountaineers turned back-to-back thefts into a pair of easy buckets and Natalie Burton closed out a 6-0 spurt with 1:01 left, giving WVU a 31-16 lead going into halftime. WVU recorded eight steals in the half as did the Highlanders.

“I was really proud of our defensive effort,” said Ngongba. “We got back in transition and forced West Virginia into a halfcourt game, especially in the first half.”

Campbell and Repella paced the Mountaineers with 10 and nine points, respectively. Wood and Crosier tallied six and four points for the Highlanders. Radford struggled from the field, hitting just three of 21 attempts (14.3), while WVU shot 52 percent (13-25). Both teams could not hold onto ball, turning it over 13 times apiece.

The Mountaineers took control in the second half, outscoring the Highlanders 33-12. WVU used a big advantage on the boards (24-14).

On the defensive end, junior Ciara Hayes (Upper Marlboro, Md./Riverdale Baptist) and freshman Sarah Tabb (Chesapeake, Va./Stonebridge School) rejected two shots apiece in the second half. Tabb also scored her first two collegiate points.

Radford shot just 16.7 percent (8-48) from the field. The Mountaineers finished with a 41-28 edge on the boards led by Madina Ali's game-high 10. Redshirt junior Brooke McElroy (Richmond, Va./Monmouth) grabbed a team-best six with freshman Victoria Hamilton (St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands/Antilles School).

Radford returns home on Saturday, Dec. 5, hosting Southern Virginia at 3 p.m.