Women's Basketball: WVU Drops Opener
November 18, 2005 05:41 PM | General
November 18, 2005
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| Leuchanka |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Terrie Davis scored 12 of her team-high 17 points in the second half to lead Texas San Antonio to a 57-54 victory over West Virginia Friday afternoon in the first game of the UCF Golden Knights Classic in Orlando, Fla.
UTSA (1-0) overcame a 13-point deficit by shooting 52 percent in the second half. The Mountaineers (0-1) fell apart when both of its centers Olayinka Sanni and Yelena Leuchanka picked up their fourth fouls with more than 14 minutes remaining in the game. Sanni eventually fouled out after playing just eight minutes and scoring six points.
WVU’s leading scorer Meg Bulger was stymied by UTSA’s box-and-one defense and finished the game making just 4 of 14 field goal attempts for 11 points. Leuchanka picked up the slack finishing with career highs of 18 points and 13 rebounds.
West Virginia’s all-new backcourt of Ashley Powell and Britney Davis-White had tough debuts, although the Mountaineers’ 22 turnovers were equally distributed.
The turning point in the game came during an eight-minute stretch in the second half with Leuchanka and Sanni both on the bench. The Mountaineers saw their 42-29 lead evaporate because of Davis, who got 10 of UTSA’s 14 points in a 14-1 run to tie the game 43-all with 7:27 left. Back to back baskets by Davis and Vivian Ewalefo gave Texas San Antonio a four-point lead, 47-43, but a pair of threes by Bulger and LaQuita Owens gave the lead back to the Mountaineers, 49-47.
Bulger’s fall away jumper just ahead of the three-minute timeout was West Virginia’s last lead at 51-50.
UTSA, 16-12 last year and picked to finish second in the Southland Conference, got 11 points from Katie Sandefur.
West Virginia dropped its season opener for the first time in five seasons under Mike Carey and suffered its first season-opening loss since 1998, an 85-72 loss at Virginia.
The Mountaineers return to the court tomorrow evening to face tournament host Central Florida at 6 pm.
