Women Open Friday
November 18, 2004 04:14 PM | General
November 18, 2004
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The score counts this time when the West Virginia University women’s basketball team plays host to UNC Greensboro in its 2004-05 season opener at the WVU Coliseum Friday night.
 |
||
| Meg Bulger scored 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds in West Virginia's exhibition win against the Netherlands National Team last Sunday.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks |
West Virginia defeated a solid Netherlands National Team, 70-61 in exhibition action last Sunday.
Sophomore Meg Bulger scored 23 points, pulled down seven rebounds and made four steals to lead the Mountaineers. Six-five center Yelena Leuchanka contributed 16 points and seven boards, while senior guard Sherell Sowho added 10 for the Mountaineers.
“I don’t think Meg is going to score 20-25 points like she did in the exhibition game because teams are going to put their best player on her,” said West Virginia coach Mike Carey. “Meg is such a good passer that if they overload on her she’ll be able to find the open man.”
Much like senior point guard Yolanda Paige, who was recently picked for the preseason all-Big East first team. Paige returns as the conference's top play maker.
Carey’s lineup against the Netherlands National Team emphasized defense with freshman guard Chakhia Cole joining regulars Bulger, Leuchanka, Sowho and senior point guard Yolanda Paige.
Cole is a 5-foot-10 freshman from Marlboro, N.J., who has the versatility to play both the big guard and small forward positions. She scored 1,825 points and grabbed 1,212 rebounds for her prep career, and was rated one of the nation’s top 100 high school players by both All-Star Girl’s Report and Blue Star.
“She’s my type of player,” said Carey. “She is going to play hard, she’s going to bang you, she’s going to dive on the floor and she’s going to take charges. She’s the type of player that I think as a freshman already knows her role. She knows her role is to play defense, rebound and get out in the open floor and take charges. She’s accepted that role and she’s doing a great job for us.”
Carey appears to have plenty of options off the bench starting with 6-foot-1 junior Joei Clyburn, a junior college All-American last year at Arkansas-Fort Smith. Clyburn played 10 minutes in the exhibition game, making her only field goal attempt for three points.
Five-nine freshman guard LaQuita Owens played nine minutes in the exhibition and scored a basket. Owens is a native of Charlotte, N.C., and averaged 14 points and seven rebounds per game last year as a prep senior.
Sophomore guard Kate Glusko proved a valuable asset coming off the bench last year as a spot shooter and could serve that role again this year. Glusko had a career-high seven points in a win against Syracuse last year as a freshman. Kristin Heminger, a freshman from Merritt Island, Fla., may be utilized in that role as well.
Six-two senior Ramika McGee, 6-foot-2 freshman Olayinka Sanni and 6-foot-2 junior Jeriece Lee provide capable front-court depth. All three saw action in the exhibition game, producing a pair of baskets and a couple of rebounds.
Rounding out the WVU roster is a pair of backcourt transfers: Amber Robinson (Dayton) and Becca Cline (Kalamazoo Valley CC).
“I really like what I saw in practice the last two days,” said Carey of his team. “I think they’re working hard, they’re playing with a lot of enthusiasm and if they continue to do that we’ll get better.”
UNC Greensboro is coming off a 9-19 season last year and is three years removed from a 21-10 season in 2002. Veteran coach Lynne Agee is beginning her 26th season coaching women’s college basketball – her 23rd at UNCG.
Agee has led the Spartans to 14 20-win seasons including an NCAA tournament appearance in 1998. She ranks among the top 25 active coaches in both wins and winning percentage.
Agee has four returning starters led by 5-foot-10 senior forward Jacinda Lambert, who averaged 12.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in 2004. It was the second straight year Lambert has led UNCG in scoring.
Five-six junior point guard Amanda Eaton, a Wheeling Park product, averaged 10.4 points per game and connected on 48 three-point attempts in 2004. Six-three senior center Lindsey Reed gives the Spartans size and production in the paint, averaging 8.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game last year.
Six-two junior forward Kellan Law is also a returning starter, averaging 5.9 points and 6.0 rebounds per game last year.
“They run a two-three, they play a man-to-man and they’ll extend a little bit out of a two-two-one and use a little bit of full-court man, so we’re prepared for just about anything they throw against us,” said Carey.
UNC Greensboro was picked to finish sixth in the Southern Conference preseason poll while Eaton was tabbed a preseason all-league pick.
“They’ll be a good test for us, especially with all of the new players we have right now,” Carey said.
Friday night’s game will get underway at 7 pm. Tickets can be purchased at the arena and are $5 for adults and $3 for seniors and youths 18 and under.
MSN radio (Tony Caridi and Jay Jacobs) will carry the game on stations WHIS-AM in Bluefield, WSWW-AM in Charleston, WAJR-FM in Clarksburg, WAJR-AM in Morgantown and on the Internet at Yahoo! Sports.
