Battling the Bearcats
January 07, 2009 01:27 PM | General
January 7, 2009
GAME NOTES
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University women’s basketball team looks to get back on track against Cincinnati their Big East home opener this evening at 8 p.m. at the WVU Coliseum. The game will be televised by WVPBS.
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| Sophomore Liz Repella leads West Virginia with averages of 16.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.
Allison Toffle photo |
The Mountaineers (10-3, 0-1 Big East) have won three of their last four games, but are coming off a hard-fought 72-63 road loss to No. 19 Pitt last Sunday. Facing another formidable foe in the Bearcats (11-3, 1-0 Big East), WVU is aware that it is critical to exploit their first opportunity for a home victory within the rugged Big East Conference.
“Every time you have a home game you have to win them, and you have to steal some on the road,” Coach Mike Carey said. “This is a big home game. We definitely don’t want to go 0-2 in the Big East starting out.”
Sophomore guards Liz Repella and Sarah Miles and senior guard Takisha Granberry highlight WVU’s three-pronged scoring attack. Repella leads the Mountaineers with 16.5 points per game while tying for the team lead with 8.5 rebounds. The Steubenville, Ohio, standout has reached double-figure scoring in 12 of WVU’s 13 games this season, including a season-high 23 points against West Coast Conference foe Santa Clara in a 72-54 win on Dec. 22.
Versatile shooting guard Granberry is coming off a 22-point, eight-rebound effort against Pitt. The Charlotte, N.C., resident averages 16.3 points per game while reaching at least 20 points in four of her last five games. Granberry is tied with Repella for the team lead in rebounds while leading the Mountaineers with 29 3-pointers.
Miles, a crafty and quick two-guard, enters the contest averaging 10.5 points while grabbing 5.4 boards per outing. In WVU’s last nonconference game against Longwood, the San Antonio, Texas native totaled 22 points in a 76-51 Mountaineer victory.
Cincinnati comes to Morgantown looking to end a two-year skid against the Mountaineers. WVU defeated the Bearcats on the road last season, 82-63, in what was a 3-point shooting exhibition as West Virginia nailed 13 treys to earn a critical conference win. WVU also won 61-49 at the Coliseum in 2007.
The Bearcats carry an experienced squad led by junior guard Kahla Roudebush, who averages 15.6 points per game. Roudebush has done plenty of damage in her last three contests, averaging 23.7 points and 7.3 boards.
“They do have balance,” Repella said. “There are about three of them that take most of their shots. All around, there isn’t one player that particularly takes most of their shots.”
Leading Cincinnati on the glass is senior guard Angel Morgan, who racks up 6.7 boards per game. Parkersburg native Jill Stephens is also a force on the glass and is one of the Bearcats’ better inside players, coming off a 15-point outing in their 61-54 victory against Villanova.
“Cincinnati is a very good basketball team,” Carey said. “I’ve watched them on tape and inside-outside they have a lot of shooters and they play a matchup zone. It’s going to be a good game.”
The Bearcats earned their biggest win of the season on Dec. 7, defeating cross-town rival and No. 21 Xavier, 65-55. The outcome marked their first victory over a Top 25 opponent since beating No. 24 DePaul, 62-44, on Jan. 14, 2007.
“They play pretty good defense,” Carey added. “They beat Villanova the other day by double figures and they are a lot better. They have four starters back from last year so they’re an experienced team.”
Despite playing with a short bench due to three critical season-ending injuries to Jessica Capers, Madina Ali and Vanessa House, WVU has shown its resolve throughout the season by sometimes playing with five, six or seven players a game.
“When you’re only playing five to six people it’s hard to have that energy every game,” Carey admitted. “But we’re hoping to come out with a lot of energy like we had the other day (against Pitt), but we want to finish this game and win this game. We need to be a little smarter at the end of the game and stay close and try to execute down the stretch.”
