Women's Basketball: WVU Prepares to Host Friars
January 11, 2007 08:13 PM | General
January 11, 2007
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The West Virginia University women’s basketball team is set to begin a three-game home stand this Saturday when surprising Providence College invades the WVU Coliseum at 2 p.m. for a pivotal Big East battle.
The Friars are 12-4, 2-1, having beaten No. 13 Louisville and Syracuse in league play so far this year. Providence is led by 5’8 sophomore guard Chelsea Marandola who averages a team-best 18.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. 5’10 senior forward Shauna Snyder contributes 14.5 points per game. 5’10 sophomore guard Catherine Bove rounds out the Friars in double figures, chipping in 13.1 points per contest. Bove has come on strong of late, averaging 20 points in just three Big East games so far this season.
Providence has undergone a complete transformation under the direction of second-year coach Phil Seymore. Seymore was hired following an abysmal 2004-2005 campaign in which the Friars went 1-27. Last season Seymore guided Providence to eight wins and he has them off to a fast start this season. Seymore comes from a solid coaching pedigree. He served as an assistant coach on West Virginia coach John Beilein’s staff at Richmond from 1997-2000 before moving on to be an assistant with the Providence men’s team under Tim Welsh.
West Virginia (9-7, 1-3) is coming off an impressive 74-63 upset victory at No. 24 DePaul on Tuesday night. The Mountaineers are led by 6-2 junior center Olayinka Sanni who is averaging a team-best 12.7 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Junior guard LaQuita Owens chips in 11.7 points while 5’10 junior forward Chakhia Cole adds 10.2 points per contest.
West Virginia leads the all-time series against Providence 11-4. The Mountaineers hold a 6-1 advantage in games played in Morgantown. The Friars will be searching for their first win ever in the WVU Coliseum. Providence recorded their lone victory in Morgantown during the 1999-2000 season in a game that was played at Morgantown High School because of asbestos removal at the Coliseum.
Saturday’s contest is Take-a-Kid-to-the-Game Day, with kids 13 and under receiving free admission to the game with the purchase of a full-price adult ticket.
Saturday’s game will be televised by MSN and will air live on these stations: WVFX (Clarksburg), WJAL (Chambersburg, Pa.), WTAP/My 5 (Parkersburg) and Cox Sports TV (Providence).
FSN Pittsburgh, MASN and Sports Time Ohio will show the game on tape delay basis. Also, fans can watch the game live on the Internet through CSTV All Access.
