Box Score

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. -- Four players reached double figures, including a game-high 21 points by LaQuita Owens, for the No. 18 West Virginia Mountaineers as they defeated the Canisius College women's basketball team 76-49 on Friday night in the WVU Coliseum.

Micayla Drysdale led the Golden Griffins (0-1) with 13 points on the night while Brittan? Russell had 11. Laura Buetow had a game-high four blocks in 32 minutes, the most she's played at Canisius.

West Virginia broke open the game early, scoring 13 consecutive points to take a 15-2 lead. LaQuita Owens had eight of her 14 first-half points during that stretch. The teams stayed even for the rest of the half as the Drysdale scored eight consecutive points late in the first half as the Mountaineers held a 38-25 advantage at intermission.

In the second half, West Virginia pulled away midway through with a 15-2 run during a six-minute stretch to extend a 54-37 lead to a 69-36 advantage.

“We played well in spurts tonight, but didn't get a continuous level of intensity for a full 40 minutes,” Canisius coach Terry Zeh said. “They are not just a Big East team, but a very good Big East team who has a chance to play on a national level this season.”

Owens had 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including 5-of-8 from behind the arc. Olayinka Sanni had 16 points and 10 rebounds while Meg Bulger came off the bench with 15 points.

Canisius opens its home schedule on Monday, when the Golden Griffins host Colgate at the Koessler Athletic Center. Game time is set for 7 p.m.

Match Notes: Canisius extended its streak of games with a made 3-point field goal to 391 as Cavo made a trey 53 seconds into the game... The Griffs played a ranked opponent for the fifth time in school history... Buetow moved into fourth place on the all-time blocks list with her four blocks on the night, passing Jessica Steeves who had 80... Drysdale's 13 points were the most by a Canisius freshman in her first game since Cheri Wittlieb had 18 on Nov. 22, 2002, against Stetson.