Women's Basketball: WVU Advances
March 05, 2005 08:26 PM | General
March 5, 2005
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| Bulger |
HARTFORD, Conn. – Meg Bulger scored 23 points to lead West Virginia to a 77-68 victory over Pitt Saturday night in a Big East tournament first round game at the Hartford Civic Center.
The Mountaineers (17-11) advance to the tournament quarterfinals for the second straight year and will face No. 2-seeded Notre Dame tomorrow at 6 pm.
Bulger made seven of 17 field-goal attempts and was seven of eight from the free throw line for her team-high scoring total. Sherell Sowho made five of nine from three-point range for 19 points and Yolanda Paige set a Big East record with 14 assists.
Paige also contributed 12 points.
Pitt (13-15) got a career-high 27 points from sophomore Danielle Taylor, who did not get into the game the first time West Virginia faced Pitt in Pittsburgh three weeks ago. Pitt was playing without its top two scorers Marcedes Walker who is out with a shoulder injury and Katie Histed who sat out for personal reasons.
Pitt led 11-6 before West Virginia went on an 18-7 run to take a 24-17 lead. The Mountaineers got their lead to nine, 32-23, when Chakhia Cole slipped free on the weakside for a stick-back lay up.
Cole finished the half by sinking an 18-foot jumper just ahead of the buzzer to give the Mountaineers a 37-30 halftime lead.
West Virginia used a 13-2 run at the start of the second half to take an 18-point lead, 50-32, before Pitt got its first field goal with 13:39 when Vika Sholokhova hit a three.
The Panthers were able to cut West Virginia’s lead to 10 at 54-44 and 60-50 with 6:47 remaining.
After a pair of Alisha Morris trimmed West Virginia’s lead to nine, Sowho responded with her fifth three to put the Mountaineers back up by 12.
A Taylor lay up pulled Pitt to within seven, 69-62, before a Cole free throw and a Olayinka Sanni lay up got the lead back to 10.
West Virginia made 26 of 58 field goal attempts including seven of 14 from three. The Mountaineers were also 18 of 24 from the free throw line.
Pitt made just 19 of 62 field goal attempts and was eight of 23 from three. The Panthers hit 22 of 27 from the free throw line.
In Big East games earlier today, Villanova defeated Providence 67-39 and St. John’s knocked off Seton Hall 45-42.
Sunday's Big East quarterfinal round game against Nore Dame will be televised on CSTV. Locally, it will air on Comcast channel 274 in Pittsburgh and on Adelphia 174 in Huntington, W.Va.
