MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The Delaware State women’s basketball team (0-1) faced an uphill climb early and often on the road during its 2015-16 season opener, which was also the first game for head coach Barbara Burgess, as West Virginia (1-0) cruised to a 77-34 victory.

With this loss, the Lady Hornets dropped to 13-26 all-time in season openers, whereas the Mountaineers pushed its record to 4-1 overall against Delaware State.

Setting the tone early, WVU tallied the game’s first 12 points, until DSU’s Bri Justice stopped the bleeding with a layup at the 4:06 mark in the first quarter.  The Mountaineers went on to lead by as many as 21 on two separate occasions throughout the opening stanza, as they took a 35-15 lead into the locker room.  Shooting a respectable 45 percent (15-of-33), WVU also pulled down 10 of its 28 boards on the offensive end, which resulted in 11 second-chance points.  The Lady Hornets, meanwhile, went just 5-for-29 (.172) from the floor in the first half, including a 1-for-9 (.111) effort from beyond the arc.

The rest of the way, the Mountaineers’ defense continued to stymie the Lady Hornets, holding them to just 30 percent (7-of-23) shooting.  On the other end, WVU scored 25 points in the third quarter, capped off by guard Alexis Brewer draining a three to make it a 60-26 ball game heading to the fourth.

When the final buzzer sounded, three Mountaineers scored in double figures, led by Brewer’s 14 points (6-of-7) points off the bench.  Down low, the Big 12’s top returning rebounder in center Lanay Montgomery nearly recorded a double-double with nine points on a perfect 4-for-4 night from the floor, along with a game-high 10 boards.

DSU, on other the other hand, featured Justice (3-of-7) and guard N’Kayah Kersey (2-of-8) registering team-highs in points (8), whereas top returning scorers Amber Bogard (2-of-7) and Mikah Aldridge (0-of-8) shot a combined 13 percent (2-of-15).

Delaware State will return to Memorial Hall for the first time this season next Wednesday evening (7 p.m.) to face the Mount St. Mary’s Mounts. Last season, the Hornets suffered a 73-64 road loss to the Mounts.