WVU Falls to Irish
January 24, 2010 03:39 PM | General
By Steve Stone for MSNsportsNET.com
January 24, 2010
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – A strong second half by fourth-ranked Notre Dame propelled the Irish to a 74-66 victory over 11th-ranked West Virginia Sunday afternoon at the Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Ind.
The loss is West Virginia’s first in Big East play this season, and snaps its 16-game win streak that began exactly two months ago on Nov. 24.
After starting off the game with a good offensive rhythm and leading by 11 at halftime, the Mountaineers (18-2, 5-1) were outscored 43-24 in the second half. The Fighting Irish (17-1, 4-1) was able to pressure WVU’s guards and play a zone defense that limited West Virginia’s points in the paint and forced it to take several perimeter shots.
Notre Dame’s pressure in the second half, with occasional full-court traps included, prevented West Virginia from getting points off the fast break – something the Mountaineers usually thrive on. Notre Dame also took care of the ball through the game’s final 20 minutes, only committing three turnovers after tallying 14 in the first half.
Arguably the game’s turning point came with 11:12 remaining when freshman center Asya Bussie committed an offensive foul in the post, her fourth of the contest. The Randallstown, Md., native helped give WVU’s shooters open looks from the outside and was forced to go to the bench with WVU clinging to a 52-47 lead.
Notre Dame scored eight unanswered points, capped by a jumper from Natalie Novosel to make it 55-52. West Virginia point guard Sarah Miles responded with a game-tying 3-pointer, and the teams began to trade baskets down the stretch as Bussie’s layup with 2:44 remaining cut WVU’s deficit to 64-62.
With West Virginia in a 1-3-1 zone, Notre Dame’s Melissa Lechlitner found herself open in the corner for a 3-pointer to give the Irish a 67-62 advantage with 2:23 left. Guard Ashley Barlow scored Notre Dame’s next five points on a layup and three free throws to seal the win.
Junior guard Liz Repella scored a season-high 24 points for WVU, making 9 of 17 shots that included 5 of 7 from long distance. The Steubenville, Ohio, native started off well but could not get many looks in the second half, forcing her to penetrate more. Korinne Campbell added 12 points and nine rebounds, while Bussie and Miles each finished with nine.
The Mountaineers shot 42.4 percent for the game, and made 9 of 15 3-point field goal attempts. The Irish was held below its season average of 80 points, and shot 45.5 percent from the field.
Notre Dame outrebounded West Virginia, 37-34, marking just the third time this season that the Mountaineers have come away with less rebounds than their opponent.
West Virginia attacked with a vengeance in the first half to take a 42-31 halftime lead. After struggling to score through much of conference play, the Mountaineers shot 50 percent and made 6 of 7 3-point field goals, led by Repella’s 16 points that include four 3-pointers.
Campbell also showed her finishing touch, scoring 10 points on 3 of 6 shooting at the break. Miles added six points with five assists and three steals.
Trailing 23-22 in the first half, Vanessa House’s steal and dish to Repella for a 3-pointer sparked a 13-0 run to put West Virginia up 35-23 with 5:20 remaining. Repella canned two shots from long distance during the run, while Miles and House added baskets before Campbell’s 3-pointer from the corner gave the Mountaineers their biggest lead at 13.
Notre Dame countered with five quick points, including a basket and free throw by Barlow, but Bussie responded with an old fashioned 3-point play underneath the basket. House put WVU up 40-29 with a tough running left-handed layup, and Miles finished the scoring with a pick-and-roll basket in the paint.
The Irish finished with four double-figure scorers, led by Lindsay Schrader’s 16 points. Freshman standout Skylar Diggins was held in check for much of the game before hitting some important baskets late, finishing with 15.
West Virginia returns to the WVU Coliseum on Wednesday, Jan. 27, against Seton Hall at 7 p.m. The contest will air on West Virginia PBS.
AP photo
