Women's Basketball: WVU Opens League Play at USF
January 04, 2008 09:35 PM | General
January 4, 2008
GAME NOTES
TAMPA, Fla. -- West Virginia University's nationally ranked women's basketball team (10-2) opens its 13th season of BIG EAST conference play at USF, Saturday, Jan. 5 at 7 p.m. at the Sun Dome. MSN Radio with Travis Jones will air the contest while Catch 47 (Tampa Bay Sports Television) will broadcast the game live locally in the Tampa area.
The Mountaineers (No. 17 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll and No. 16 in Associated Press Poll), idle for two weeks since a 79-66 loss at Indiana on December 22, and the Bulls (10-3) will meet for the third time in a series that began two years ago when USF joined the BIG EAST in 2005. The series is tied 1-1 with both teams winning on its home court.
WVU defeated the Bulls 73-64 last season in Morgantown while South Florida knocked off the Mountaineers 66-56 two seasons ago at the Sun Dome.
USF is fresh off a 75-48 setback at Vanderbilt on Wednesday.
Four Mountaineer starters are averaging double-figures in scoring, led by senior center Olayinka Sanni's 17.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Senior guard Meg Bulger is averaging 14.8 points per game including 3.1 3-point field goals per game. Senior guard LaQuita Owens is averaging 12.8 points while senior forward Chakhia Cole is tallying 11.2 points per game. Sanni, Bulger and Cole are each shooting over 50% from the field so far this season.
All-BIG EAST guard Shantia Grace paces the Bulls attack with 17.7 points per game while Jessica Lawons chips in with 15 points per game.
The contest will also air on 91.7 FM (WWVU) with Chad Beighly and George Gerbo on the call.
