West Virginia Wins Island Division
November 27, 2010 06:45 PM | General
St. Thomas, V.I. – The No. 10/11 West Virginia women’s basketball team defeated No. 19/17 Iowa State, 64-53, Saturday in the Paradise Jam Championship game held in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
With the win, the Mountaineers (6-0) have now defeated two ranked teams (TCU, ISU) in the last three games, and leave the Paradise Jam Tournament with an undefeated record.
Senior co-captains Liz Repella and Madina Ali were also named to the All-Tournament Team for their performances, with Repella being named the Paradise Jam Island Division MVP. Repella scored 42 points and collected 21 rebounds throughout the tournament, while Ali scored 38 points and grabbed 25 rebounds.
Defensively, the Mountaineers shut down the Cyclones (5-1) by forcing 17 turnovers and grabbing seven steals while dominating in total rebounds, 40-22. They were also able to hold the Cyclones to 18.2 percent (2-11) shooting from the three-point line, while only allowing them to collect five offensive boards.
“We stayed on Kelsey Bolte and didn't let her get a lot of looks,” said coach Mike Carey. “We did a great job defending her. We made them drive it and our weak side did a nice job. Even though they were in the zone, we did a nice job on offensive boards.”
Liz Repella led the Mountaineer offense in scoring with 15 points, while Madina Ali and Korinne Campbell followed with 13 and eight points, respectively. WVU’s bench contributed 18 points, led by Taylor Palmer with nine points, and Ayana Dunning and Jessica Harlee with six and three points, respectively.
“We wanted to come down here and be 3-0,” Repella said. “We didn't feel like we played our best in our first couple of games so we were excited to come down here and be tested by three great teams. We knew Iowa State was a great team with great players and they run their offense really well.”
Freshman guard Brooke Hampton started in place of injured guard Sarah Miles, who suffered a knee injury against Virginia on Friday. Hampton finished with six points and seven assists to help contribute to the Mountaineer win.
“With Sarah Miles down, let's give a lot of credit to Brooke Hampton. She came in and did a great job as a freshman,” remarked coach Carey.
“Seven assists and zero turnovers-what a stat line for a freshman. Brooke did really well against a tough team and I am really proud of her,” Repella added.
Freshman Taylor Palmer sunk a three to send the Mountaineers into the locker room with a 36-26 lead at halftime. WVU pulled away from an 8-8 tie at the 14:34 mark using a 22-11 run, with a Madina Ali layup on a fast break being capped by a Palmer three, which followed a Repella three. The Mountaineers largest lead of the first half (12 points) came at the 3:53 mark, 33-21.
Iowa State was led by senior guard Kelsey Bolte, who had 13 points and four rebounds, and sophomore forward Chelsea Poppens, who scored ten points while grabbing three boards. Center Anna Prins and forward Hallie Christofferson followed with nine and eight points, respectively.
West Virginia returns to Morgantown for a Dec. 2 game against Elon at 7 p.m. in the WVU Coliseum. The game will be streamed live on MSNsportsNET.com.
With the win, the Mountaineers (6-0) have now defeated two ranked teams (TCU, ISU) in the last three games, and leave the Paradise Jam Tournament with an undefeated record.
Senior co-captains Liz Repella and Madina Ali were also named to the All-Tournament Team for their performances, with Repella being named the Paradise Jam Island Division MVP. Repella scored 42 points and collected 21 rebounds throughout the tournament, while Ali scored 38 points and grabbed 25 rebounds.
Defensively, the Mountaineers shut down the Cyclones (5-1) by forcing 17 turnovers and grabbing seven steals while dominating in total rebounds, 40-22. They were also able to hold the Cyclones to 18.2 percent (2-11) shooting from the three-point line, while only allowing them to collect five offensive boards.
“We stayed on Kelsey Bolte and didn't let her get a lot of looks,” said coach Mike Carey. “We did a great job defending her. We made them drive it and our weak side did a nice job. Even though they were in the zone, we did a nice job on offensive boards.”
Liz Repella led the Mountaineer offense in scoring with 15 points, while Madina Ali and Korinne Campbell followed with 13 and eight points, respectively. WVU’s bench contributed 18 points, led by Taylor Palmer with nine points, and Ayana Dunning and Jessica Harlee with six and three points, respectively.
“We wanted to come down here and be 3-0,” Repella said. “We didn't feel like we played our best in our first couple of games so we were excited to come down here and be tested by three great teams. We knew Iowa State was a great team with great players and they run their offense really well.”
Freshman guard Brooke Hampton started in place of injured guard Sarah Miles, who suffered a knee injury against Virginia on Friday. Hampton finished with six points and seven assists to help contribute to the Mountaineer win.
“With Sarah Miles down, let's give a lot of credit to Brooke Hampton. She came in and did a great job as a freshman,” remarked coach Carey.
“Seven assists and zero turnovers-what a stat line for a freshman. Brooke did really well against a tough team and I am really proud of her,” Repella added.
Freshman Taylor Palmer sunk a three to send the Mountaineers into the locker room with a 36-26 lead at halftime. WVU pulled away from an 8-8 tie at the 14:34 mark using a 22-11 run, with a Madina Ali layup on a fast break being capped by a Palmer three, which followed a Repella three. The Mountaineers largest lead of the first half (12 points) came at the 3:53 mark, 33-21.
Iowa State was led by senior guard Kelsey Bolte, who had 13 points and four rebounds, and sophomore forward Chelsea Poppens, who scored ten points while grabbing three boards. Center Anna Prins and forward Hallie Christofferson followed with nine and eight points, respectively.
West Virginia returns to Morgantown for a Dec. 2 game against Elon at 7 p.m. in the WVU Coliseum. The game will be streamed live on MSNsportsNET.com.
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