50 Years of WVU Women’s Basketball: Win over Penn State represents legendary season for Mountaineers (1982)

As WVU prepares for an identity-shifting battle against Penn Sate on Monday, history, as always, can be a source of empowerment for the Mountaineers.

In the 1981-1982 season, the Mountaineers’ eight year as an existing women’s basketball program, West Virginia won 20 games for the first time.

The team’s success had plenty of stand-out factors, including coach and program founder Kittie Blakemore, the program’s growing recognition within the university and beyond, and junior Cathy Parson.

Parson, a 5’7” guard from Maryland, is WVU’s all-time leading scorer, posting 2,115 points in four years. In 1996, Parson became the first woman inducted to the WVU Sports Hall of Fame.

With West Virginia turning a new leaf in 1982, the Mountaineers joined the NCAA the following year. Though the team’s 20 wins spoke for themselves, none spoke louder than that of Jan. 18, 1982.

Entering 11-6 and unranked, West Virginia, though a proven threat, was certainly not favored against the No. 14 Nittany Lions. The team recently had a sub-par performance in Miami’s Hurricane Classic and simply did not match up with large programs like Ohio State.

Nevertheless, at home, the Mountaineers proved worthy of the victory. 

WVU strengthened its play primarily by weakening Penn State’s. West Virginia put the pressure on the Nittany Lions, forcing a 17-9 turnover margin in its favor and drawing fouls correctly, causing two Penn State starters to leave the game.

The Nittany Lions’ strong defense and many scoring options allowed them to withstand this pressure for the first half, as they led 46-40, but this consistent damage done by West Virginia won in the second half.

It was not a sure-fire win, as WVU still had a margin to make up, but the job got done. The Mountaineers outscored Penn State 41-33 in the second half, as Louise Leimhkuhler and Cindy Davies fouled out and WVU shot efficiently with its best options.

While Lisa Ribble led defensively with three steals and a block and forwards Olivia Bradley and Susan Muth combatted Cheryl Ellison’s 15 rebounds, Cathy Parson converted offensively. Parson shot 14/26 from the field for a remarkable 33 points for the two-point Mountaineers win.

The Mountaineers shot 34/65 from the field to make up for the 10 less free throw attempts and nine less rebounds brought by PSU’s height. Four starters scored in double digits, including a 12 point, 10 rebound double-double from Bradley in just 25 minutes.

West Virginia’s underestimated roster secured its greatest victory of the season due to immense pressure, efficient scoring, smart play, and a home crowd. Fast forwarding to the upcoming Monday game, all of these factors are once again in the Mountaineers’ hands.

 WVU will look to repeat history at 6 p.m. at the WVU Coliseum.