MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Sydney Shaw had 19 points and nine rebounds, Gia Cooke scored 18 points and West Virginia used an early defensive lockdown to take control in a 82-54 victory over Miami (Ohio) in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
West Virginia (28-6), the fourth seed in the Fort Worth region, will meet No. 5 seed Kentucky in the second round Monday. The Wildcats beat 12th-seeded James Madison earlier Saturday.
Jordan Harrison had 15 points and eight assists, and Kierra Wheeler added 14 points and nine rebounds for the Mountaineers.
Amber Scalia led Miami with 14 points, Amber Tretter added 13 and Ilsa de Vries 12.
Miami (28-7), the No. 13 seed that set a school record for wins this season, fell to 0-2 all-time in the tournament. Its other appearance came in 2008.
Buoyed by a loud sellout crowd at its home arena, West Virginia used a 16-3 run spanning the halves to put away Miami. But it was a flurry of earlier steals that turned the tide.
West Virginia trailed 14-11 late in the first quarter when its pressure defense went into overdrive. Miami committed five turnovers in a three-minute stretch, and the Mountaineers took control with an ensuing 17-0 run.
Miami, the Mid-American Conference tournament champion, went more than five minutes between field goals and fell behind 40-26 by halftime.
The RedHawks seemed to wear down under the defensive pressure. There was a 10-second violation trying to get the ball past half court, passes that were thrown to nobody and Miami defenders who were a step behind. West Virginia held a 48-22 advantage in points in the paint and outrebounded Miami, 40-24.
West Virginia has never won twice in the same NCAA Tournament in 16 previous appearances. The Mountaineers will try to break that streak Monday.
