Women's Basketball: Paige Sets School Assist Mark
November 22, 2004 09:24 PM | General
November 22, 2004
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Yolanda Paige showed Northwestern that she is one of the best point guards in the country. On Monday night Paige set a school and tied a 13-year Big East record with 18 assists to lead the Mountaineers to an easy 89-55 victory over the Wildcats at the WVU Coliseum.
 |
||
| Yolanda Paige set a WVU record with 18 assists Monday night against Northwestern.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks |
The Virginia Beach, Va., native equaled Margaret McKeon’s (St. John’s) conference record of 18 assists produced against Georgetown on Jan. 16, 1991.
“Paige is one of the best point guards I’ve seen in a long time,” said Northwestern coach Beth Combs.
Paige, who scored 11 points against the Wildcats, has already produced 32 assists in just two games. She also scored her 1,000th career point and now shows 1,005.
“She just keeps distributing the ball and our young ladies did a good job running out to the blocks and spotting up for some threes for her,” said West Virginia coach Mike Carey. “She knows she’s one of the better point guards in the country and she’s going out and proving it.”
Guards Sherell Sowho and Meg Bulger were the primary beneficiaries of Paige’s playmaking, scoring 24 points each. Junior center Yelena Leuchanka contributed 17.
Sowho had 18 of her 24 points in the first half and finished the game making nine of her 10 field goal attempts. West Virginia shot 62.1 percent from the field as a team including making 11 of 18 from three-point range (61.1 percent).
“When you shoot 62 percent you can’t get much better than that,” said Combs.
After trading baskets to start the game, West Virginia ran off seven straight points to take a 9-2 lead. Paige got things going with a layup, Sowho made one of two free throws and Leuchanka hit back to back baskets.
The Mountaineers got their lead to double figures at 17-8 on a layup by Sowho and eventually pushed it past 20 at 41-20 on a layup by Leuchanka with 5:33.
West Virginia boosted its lead to 25 at 45-20, 47-22 and 49-24 before Sara Stutz hit a layup at the buzzer to make the score 49-26, West Virginia at the break.
The Mountaineers scored the first six points of the second half and led by as many as 39 before Carey emptied his bench.
“I thought our girls came out intensity wise and played very well,” said Carey. “Our goal is to keep getting better and better every game.”
“West Virginia is a heck of a ball club,” added Combs. “Mike has done a fantastic job with them. They’re athletic, they look to run and we just didn’t come ready to compete tonight and a lot of that has to do with West Virginia.”
Center Suzanne Morrison led Northwestern with 12 points. Sara Sturtz added 10. Northwestern’s record falls to 0-2 after having already lost to Creighton.
West Virginia (2-0) faces Wichita State in the first round of the Florida International/Herald Thanksgiving Classic Friday night. Elon plays Florida International in the other game.
