Women's Basketball: Campbell's Big Game Lifts WVU
November 24, 2009 09:06 PM | General
By Steve Stone for MSNsportsNET.com
November 24, 2009
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| Korinne Campbell |
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Korinne Campbell’s second career double-double helped give the West Virginia University women’s basketball team a 73-52 victory over rival Duquesne on Tuesday evening at the A.J. Palumbo Center in Pittsburgh.
With the win, WVU improves to 34-7 all-time against the Dukes, while extending its winning streak to 10 straight games over its neighboring rival. Campbell, a Princeton, N.J., native, filled the stat sheet with a team-leading 17 points, 16 rebounds, three blocks and two steals. The Minnesota transfer was on target from 3-point range, making all three of her attempts.
The Mountaineers (3-1) had their best shooting performance of the young season, shooting 57.4 percent from the floor, including 53.8 percent from long range. Liz Repella notched 16 points, marking her ninth consecutive double-figure performance dating back to last season. The Preseason WNIT All-Tournament Team member added seven boards, while freshman center Asya Bussie recorded 11 points and a game-high four blocks.
WVU’s defense held Duquesne to just 30.6 percent shooting. The Dukes (4-1), which entered the game receiving their first AP Poll vote in nearly 11 seasons, committed 21 turnovers and were outrebounded 37-30.
The Mountaineers routinely turned their defense into offense, scoring 22 points off turnovers. After pulling away in the second half, WVU stretched its advantage to 30 points on a fastbreak layup by Sarah Miles with 6:03 left, and then extended its largest lead to 69-37 on another fastbreak basket from Natalie Burton.
Miles totaled seven points and a game-high eight assists, and guard Vanessa House contributed seven points, four rebounds and four assists.
West Virginia stormed out to a 37-16 lead in the first half by shooting 52.2 percent from the floor. Campbell nearly had a double-double with 12 points and eight rebounds through just 20 minutes, which included her making both 3-point attempts.
Repella and Bussie added eight points apiece for the Mountaineers, with Repella also posting six boards. Her 3-pointer with 14:16 remaining in the first half gave WVU its first lead at 10-9, and sparked a 27-7 run for the Mountaineers to close out the half.
During WVU’s dominant stretch, the Mountaineers held the Dukes to just one point in the final 8:25, and used a basket by Madina Ali with 6:12 left to push their lead to double-digits at 26-15. Bussie and House helped WVU pull away with layups late in the half, and Repella’s offensive put-back with one second left gave the Mountaineers their biggest lead at 21.
The Mountaineers return with their first matchup of the Nugget Classic on Friday, Nov. 27, against Big Ten opponent Iowa in Reno, Nev. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.
Game Notes: Vanessa House made her first career start … Campbell tied a career-high with 12 points by halftime ... Campbell's 16 rebounds are the most by a WVU player since Olayinka Sanni had 16 against Marquette on Jan. 16, 2008 ... Asya Bussie's 11 points give her double-figure scoring in three of her first four games as a freshman ... despite holding Duquesne to 30.6 percent shooting, the output is WVU's highest field goal percentage allowed in its three wins ... WVU's 34 victories over Duquesne are the most it has against any opponent.
