Women's Basketball: West Virginia Improves to 8-1
December 07, 2007 10:39 PM | General
December 7, 2007
BOX SCORE
PITTSBURGH – West Virginia University’s nationally ranked women’s basketball team (8-1) defeated Duquesne (5-4), 91-64, in non-conference action Friday evening at the A.J. Palumbo Center for its fifth-straight victory.
The No. 13/13 Mountaineers were led by senior center Olayinka Sanni who scored a career-best 29 points on 12-20 shooting in 29 minutes of action, leading five Mountaineers in double figure scoring. Sanni’s previous high was 28 set against Kennesaw State two seasons ago.
Senior guard Meg Bulger and junior guard Sparkle Davis each netted 14 points and was a combined 7-of-8 from 3-point range. Davis was perfect on the night, shooting 5-of-5 from the field. Senior Chakhia Cole added 13 points, five assists and four rebounds in 38 minutes of play while fellow senior LaQuita Owens notched 10 points.
With WVU leading 42-38 entering second half play, the Mountaineers used an 11-5 run to push the lead to 55-43 after a Bulger jump shot. Duquesne got as close as 65-58 with 11:08 left in the contest after 3-pointer by Duquesne’s leading scorer Kristi Little. But West Virginia used a 26-5 run to close the game.
In first half action, Duquesne shot a blistering 50.0% (13-26) from the field which included five 3-pointers. The Mountaineers countered, making 17-of-35 shots including five 3-pointers, three of which came from Bulger. In the first half, the score was tied eight times and there were 12 lead changes. Sanni had 17 at the break.
WVU tallied 29 assists on 37 made baskets on the night, tying a Mike Carey era record for most team assists in a contest (at Robert Morris, 2002). Four Mountaineers (Ashley Powell, Cole, Owens and Bulger all had at least five assists.
WVU shot 54.4 percent from the field, its fourth 50% or better shooting game in its last five contests and fifth in its last seven over games.
The Mountaineers out-rebounded the Dukes 35-25, scored 30 points off of 18 Duquesne turnovers and scored 44 points in the paint, 24 more than its opponent. WVU turned the ball over just 10 times.
Little paced the Dukes with 18 points while Samantha Pollino netted 16.
WVU improved to 32-7 all-time against Duquesne, 14-5 all-time at Duquesne and has won eight straight in the series, including seven-straight under Carey.
Sanni’s 29 points marked her 15th career 20-point effort, moving her into a tie for 11th place on WVU’s career 20-point game list. Bulger’s four 3-pointers marked the 16th time in her last 20 games, dating back to 2006, that she has made at least three in a game.
West Virginia has a week off for final examinations before resuming action against Presbyterian at the WVU Coliseum on Saturday, Dec. 15, at 1:30 p.m. before the men’s team faces UMBC at 4 p.m.
