Women's Basketball: WVU Edges FIU in Overtime
November 22, 2008 10:06 PM | General
November 22, 2008
| Florida International 59, West Virginia 67 (OT) WVU COLISEUM Morgantown, W.Va. |
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| FG Made-Att | 23-59 | 24-62 | |||||||||||||||
| FG Percentage | 39.0% | 38.7% | |||||||||||||||
| 3P Made-Att | 8-20 | 10-29 | |||||||||||||||
| 3P Percentage | 40.0% | 34.5% | |||||||||||||||
| FT Made-Att | 8-20 | 9-19 | |||||||||||||||
| FT Percentage | 40.0% | 47.4% | |||||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 40 | 46 | |||||||||||||||
| Turnovers | 26 | 25 | |||||||||||||||
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Seniors Takisha Granberry and Ashley Powell combined for 10 points in overtime to push the West Virginia University women’s basketball team (3-1) to a 67-59 victory over Florida International (0-3) this evening at the WVU Coliseum.
The win marks the first Mountaineer overtime victory since a 76-61 win at Louisville on February 26, 2007.
Despite the needed overtime period, WVU only trailed once, 55-54, following a Marquita Adley free throw to open the extra stanza. Freshman Dominique Dixon swished consecutive free throws with 4:07 remaining to regain the lead for the Mountaineers, 56-55, their second of the game, and one that they would not relinquish.
“Give credit to the girls that were in at the end in overtime,” says Coach Mike Carey. “We outscored them at the end, 13-5, in overtime, so that was the difference.”
Granberry and sophomore Liz Repella both scored 20+ points and combined for 45, the first duo to score 20 points in a game since graduates Olayinka Sanni (20) and Meg Bulger (20) each did so in a 78-70 win over Louisville on March 1, 2008.
Granberry went 8-20 from the field, and 4-9 from beyond the 3-point arc, to finish with a game-high 24 points. The Charlotte, N.C., native also grabbed 10 rebounds, including seven defensive boards, and nabbed two steals in 41 minutes of action.
Repella became the first Mountaineer since Sanni to record two straight double-doubles, finishing with 21 points and 10 rebounds despite fouling out 17 seconds into overtime. The Steubenville, Ohio, native went 8-20 from the field and 5-12 from the 3-point line.
Powell finished the game with nine points, six assists, four rebounds and four steals in 39 minutes of play.
Monika Bosilj led FIU with 19 points, while Fanni Hutlassa contributed 12 points off of the bench. Adley grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds and scored eight points in 25 minutes of play.
In a game that saw 51 turnovers, the Mountaineers managed to make their opportunities count, outscoring the Golden Panthers 21-9 off miscues. WVU also made-good on its second chances, scoring 11 points to FIU’s two.
Though pressured throughout the half, the Mountaineers never trailed the Golden Panthers in the second stanza.
Granberry pushed the Mountaineers to an early nine-point second-half lead, scoring five consecutive points in the half’s first 57 seconds.
FIU matched WVU at 50-50 with 3:32 remaining in regulation, as Bosilj finished a lay-up of a Hutlassa pass. The end of the period played back and fourth, as the two squads traded baskets to finish knotted at 54-54 as time expired.
The Mountaineers were hot early, jumping out to a 14-5 first-half lead, going 7-9 from the field. Repella accounted for the first points of the game with her first 3-point basket.
The Golden Panthers battled back, scoring four-straight points to bring the score to 14-9 at the 10 minute mark.
WVU extended its lead to 10 points on two separate occasions, 20-10 and 23-13, but FIU managed to find holes both times in the Mountaineers’ defense to close the gaps. The Golden Panthers closed the half on a 6-0 scoring run, while the Mountaineers turned the ball over four times over the final three minutes.
The Mountaineers take to the road on Nov. 28 for the first time this season, traveling to Orono, Maine, and facing New Jersey Tech at 3 p.m. in the Dead River Company Classic, hosted by Maine.
