Women's Basketball: Huskies Too Much for WVU
January 10, 2009 09:55 PM | General
January 10, 2009
| #1 Connecticut 85, West Virginia 55 WVU Coliseum Morgantown, W.Va. |
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| FG Made-Att | 30-56 | 22-61 | ||||||||||||
| FG Percentage | 53.6% | 36.1% | ||||||||||||
| 3P Made-Att | 7-19 | 9-21 | ||||||||||||
| 3P Percentage | 36.8% | 42.9% | ||||||||||||
| FT Made-Att | 18-24 | 2-8 | ||||||||||||
| FT Percentage | 75.0% | 25.0% | ||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 43 | 31 | ||||||||||||
| Turnovers | 15 | 17 | ||||||||||||
| Top WVU Players | ||||||||||||||
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Renee Montgomery and Maya Moore combined for 44 points to push Connecticut (15-0 overall, 2-0 BIG EAST) past the West Virginia University women’s basketball team (10-5, 0-3) 85-55 Saturday evening at the WVU Coliseum.
The loss is the third-straight for the Mountaineers and pushes UConn’s series advantage to 20-1.
The squads played before a crowd of 3,167 excited fans, the seventh-largest women’s crowd in Mountaineer history.
The Mountaineers were no match for the No. 1 Huskies on the boards, as UConn worked towards a +12 rebound advantage (43-31). The Huskies also outscored WVU in the paint, 42-18.
Overall, the Huskies’ excessive speed and quick hands did in the Mountaineers, as UConn scored 21 points off of 17 WVU turnovers, and netted 12 fastbreak points to the Mountaineers’ two.
“There are no moral victories for me. We either win or we lose,” says Coach Mike Carey. “I am so sick and tired of what is going on. I don’t care if we got beat by one or 30.”
Senior Takisha Granberry drilled five 3-pointers and added a field goal to lead the Mountaineers’ offensive charge with 17 points. The Charlotte, N.C., native also grabbed three rebounds and added one assist and one steal.
Sophomores Liz Repella and Sarah Miles combined for 29 points, as Repella scored 15 for her 14th-straight game in double figures, and Miles added 14 points off a 6-16 showing from the field.
Freshmen Natalie Burton and Cynthia Fullard held their own against UConn’s vaunted frontcourt, as the duo grabbed six and four rebounds, respectively. Repella also attacked the glass and grabbed five boards.
Senior Montgomery led the Huskies with a 9-17 showing from the field, including a 6-7 performance at the free-throw line for a game-high 28 points. The senior finished the game with five assists and two steals in 32 minutes of play.
Sophomore Moore recorded the only double-double of the game with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while freshman Tiffany Hayes added 10 points off the bench.
Despite the Huskies jumping out to a quick 23-5 first-half lead at the 13:51 mark, the Mountaineers were able to clamp down on their defense and take advantage of Miles’ and Granberry’s hot-hands. The duo combined for 12 points to bring the game to within nine at 7:16, 29-20.
After a Moore lay-up pushed UConn’s lead back in to double-figures, Montgomery scored six-straight points in under three minutes, and the Huskies went into the lockerroom at the half up 47-30.
West Virginia failed to regain any of its first-half momentum in the second stanza, and the Huskies’ defense held the Mountaineers to just 25 second-half points. Montgomery continued to pace the UConn offense, contributing 11 points and dishing out two assists.
The Mountaineers leave the Coliseum for their next three games, beginning with a meeting with Marshall on Jan. 14, in the Chesapeake Capital Classic in Charleston. Tip is set for 5:30 p.m.
