MORGANTOWN, West Va. - West Virginia defeated the Tigers 79-42 in first round Preseason WNIT action on Friday evening. Shanae Baker-Brice led all scorers as she posted 22 points for the Tigers (0-1).

"I have to congratulate West Virginia on being ready, prepared and aggressive tonight," said Coach Joe Mathews. "We did not look prepared and we have some work to do before our next action."

The Tigers scored two of the first three baskets in the game to hold an early 5-2 advantage. West Virginia went on an 8-0 run to take a 10-5 advantage with 13:43 remaining in the half. The two teams would trade baskets with a jumper by Omara Parker making it a 13-8 game with 11:40 remaining in the half. West Virginia outscored the Tigers 30-5 over the final 11 and a half minutes to take a 43-13 lead into the break. West Virginia shot 56% in the first half to the Tigers' 13.6%.

Towson came out the locker room after the break and went on a 12-5 run that made it a 48-25 game with 13:48 remaining in the contest. Baker-Brice scored 10 of the 12 points during that stretch. The Mountaineers followed that up with a 14-0 run of their own. The Mountaineers got four points from Liz Repella during that stretch. The two teams would continue to trade baskets over the closing minutes before West Virginia posted the 79-42 victory. The Mountaineers shot 45.9% from the floor while the Tigers shot 30%.

In addition to her 22 points Baker-Brice posted four rebounds, two assists and one steal. Charmonique Watt scored six points with a block in her Tiger début. Haliena Snowden led the Tigers on the boards with eight while adding five points, one block and two steals.

West Virginia placed all five starters in double figures on the night. Repella finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and five steals. Korinne Campbell contributed a "double-double" after posting 12 points and 11 rebounds. Sarah Miles posted 12 points and nine assists.

The Tigers return to action next Friday in the consolation round of the Preseason WNIT Tournament. The Tigers game time and location will be announced on Saturday. Please stay tuned to towsontigers.com for more details.

-- TIGERS --