WVU Falls to The Hall
February 04, 2009 10:27 PM | General
By Steve Stone for MSNsportsNET.com
February 4, 2009
| West Virginia 47, Seton Hall 55 WVU Coliseum Morgantown, W.Va. |
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| FG Made-Att | 21-46 | 18-62 | ||||||||||||
| FG Percentage | 45.7% | 29.0% | ||||||||||||
| 3P Made-Att | 2-9 | 2-17 | ||||||||||||
| 3P Percentage | 22.2% | 11.8% | ||||||||||||
| FT Made-Att | 11-19 | 9-18 | ||||||||||||
| FT Percentage | 57.9% | 50.0% | ||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 50 | 30 | ||||||||||||
| Turnovers | 30 | 14 | ||||||||||||
| Top WVU Players | ||||||||||||||
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – A cold-shooting performance by the West Virginia University women’s basketball team cost it a chance to pick up a second conference victory, falling to Seton Hall, 55-47, on Wednesday evening at the WVU Coliseum.
The Mountaineers (12-9, 1-7 Big East) shot 29 percent (18-of-62) from the floor, forcing too many shots while finding it difficult to garner any second-chance opportunities. WVU was equally inconsistent from 3-point range, making 2-of-17 (11.8 percent) shots from outside the arc.
Sarah Miles provided most of the offense in the second half, scoring 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting. The San Antonio, Texas, native was aggressive in the game’s final 20 minutes, attacking the defense from end-to-end to get some much-needed transition baskets.
Miles also added five rebounds and four steals, but committed four turnovers.
Second-leading scorer Liz Repella notched 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range. The Steubenville, Ohio, resident finished with a game-high six steals as she tried to heat up in the second half after being plagued by three first-half fouls.
The Mountaineers held Seton Hall’s leading scorer, Ebonie Williams, in check for the majority of the contest. Williams finished with 12 points and committed five turnovers with two assists. Noteisha Womack, who entered the game averaging 14 points and a Big East-leading 12.4 boards, finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.
WVU’s defense stood strong once again, holding Seton Hall to 55 points after the Pirates (15-7, 3-6) erupted for 84 points in their recent loss to St. John’s. The Mountaineers forced 30 turnovers by the Hall, but were done in on the glass after getting outrebounded 50-30.
Despite outscoring the Pirates, 24-22, in the second half, WVU’s offense could not match its effectiveness on defense. With the Hall leading 41-27 with 16:30 left in the game, WVU went on a 10-0 run aided by eight points from Miles on an array of quick-strike layups to make it 41-37 with 12:08 left.
Riding the momentum of Miles, WVU spoiled a chance to make it a one-possession game when Seton Hall’s Jadis Rhodin nailed a 3-pointer from the right corner to extend the lead to 44-37. Repella followed with a layup to make it 44-39, but the Mountaineers went on a scoring draught for nearly seven minutes while the Pirates built a 12-point lead with 4:08 left.
Despite scoring only four points, leading scorer Takisha Granberry worked hard underneath to grab a team-best 10 rebounds, including four offensive boards.
The Mountaineers took care of the ball relatively well, committing only 14 turnovers. Struggling in its half-court offense against the Pirate defense, WVU relied heavily on its 22 points off turnovers to create easier baskets.
Both teams did not fare well from the charity stripe, as Seton Hall edged WVU by making 11-of-19 freebies while the Mountaineers made 9-of-18.
WVU was faced with a 10-point deficit at the half, 33-23. The Mountaineers shot only 28.8 percent (8-of-28) while Seton Hall fared better by making 12-of-27 shots (44.4 percent). Repella was forced to play only 13 minutes after committing three fouls, limiting her to only two shots from the floor.
Miles led the Mountaineers with eight first-half points. Granberry pulled down four rebounds to aid WVU on the glass, while Natalie Burton went 2-of-2 from the field to garner four points heading into the break.
The Mountaineers finish the week with a road matchup against conference rival and fifth-ranked Louisville on Saturday, Feb. 7, at 2 p.m.
