Miles Free Throw Seals WVU Win
January 02, 2010 04:58 PM | General
January 2, 2010
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| Sarah Miles |
JAMAICA, N.Y. – Sarah Miles’ free throw with 2.2 seconds left elevated the West Virginia University women’s basketball team to a 54-50 victory over St. John’s in its Big East opener on Saturday afternoon at Carnesseca Arena.
With the Mountaineers (13-1, 1-0) clinging to a 51-50 lead, freshman center Asya Bussie banked in an up-and-under shot in the paint with 34 seconds left to give West Virginia a 3-point advantage. The Red Storm (12-2, 0-1) missed three long-range jump shots on its next three possessions before Miles grabbed the rebound and was fouled for the one-and-one situation.
With 5:58 left in the game, Bussie’s inside jumper helped West Virginia regain the lead at 45-44. Over a minute later, Miles broke loose in the open court and dribbled the length of the floor for a fastbreak layup, extend WVU’s advantage to 48-45 in a game that was neck-and-neck throughout.
A big shot was made by junior Liz Repella, who put WVU ahead by five when she drove the middle of the lane and banked in a tough, contested jump shot. St. John’s would not go away and cut its deficit to 51-50 with 1:04 remaining on a circus layup by Nadirah McKenith. Before that basket, West Virginia held St. John’s scoreless on its field goal attempts since the 8:17 mark.
The Mountaineers then relied on their aggressive man-to-man defense, which held St. John’s scoreless over the final minute. Entering the game, opponents were averaging just 49.1 points per contest prior to Big East play, a mark that will barely increase after the Red Storm amassed its lowest point total of the season.
WVU was whistled for 22 fouls, but benefited from St. Johns’ woeful performance at the free throw line. The Red Storm shot 16 of 28 from charity stripe, missing several important attempts in both halves that could have padded its lead.
Early in the second half, WVU trailed 30-25 before going on an 11-2 run that was decisive in its outcome. Guard Vanessa House hit two important jumpers during the stretch, and Repella’s 3-point play put WVU up 34-32 before Madina Ali capped the run with an inside basket.
Bussie touched the ball repeatedly in the paint, scoring 15 points with nine rebounds and a career-high six blocks. She is the first player to rack up as many blocked shots in one game since Kate Bulger matched Bussie's total on March 6, 2004, against St. John’s.
West Virginia was dominant in the interior, blocking 11 shots as a team for its highest total since tallying 11 against Seton Hall on Jan. 6, 2005.
House had one of her best performances of the season, scoring 11 points in 32 important minutes off the bench. The Fresno, Calif., native helped control the tempo and proved to be an extra ball-handler that was sorely needed in breaking the Red Storm full-court trap. House was also as productive as anyone in creating her own shot, making baskets when the shot clock was winding down.
Repella added 10 points despite committing three fouls in the first half.
West Virginia shot 36.4 percent, but held its opponent to just 23.8 percent from the field. Only one conference opponent in Pitt on Feb. 13, 2008, (20.3 percent) has shot a lower percentage from the floor against WVU since the Mountaineers joined the conference in 1995.
West Virginia’s early foul trouble resulted in a 28-25 halftime deficit. The Mountaineers committed 13 fouls and were forced to play a large portion of the half without top scorers Repella and Bussie.
Bussie, who committed two fouls, controlled the paint for most of the first half and scored six points on 6 of 6 shooting from the free throw line. On the defensive end, she registered five blocks in 13 minutes, consistently negating several opportunities for St. John’s inside the paint. The Randallstown, Md., native also got St. John’s scoring threat Joy McCorvey in early foul trouble.
St. John’s ended the half on a 17-6 run, as Shenneika Smith knocked down an elbow jumper with two seconds left. West Virginia held a 19-11 advantage with 9:56 remaining but struggled to finish both inside and outside down the stretch. The Mountaineers broke a near four-minute scoring drought when House canned a jumper from the baseline to give WVU a 21-16 lead.
Korrinne Campbell led West Virginia with eight points at halftime.
West Virginia now extends its winning streak to 11 games.
West Virginia returns with another conference matchup against Pitt on Tuesday, Jan. 5, at the WVU Coliseum. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. with the game televised on CBS College Sports.
