Ali, Bussie Lead Mountaineers Past Elon
December 02, 2010 10:28 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – Scoring 20 points and collecting ten rebounds in 20 minutes of play, senior co-captain Madina Ali collected her third double-double of the season as she led the 10th ranked Mountaineers to a dominating 90-51 victory over the Elon Phoenix at the Coliseum on Thursday night.
With the win, the Mountaineers (7-0) now boast a record 23-straight home game win streak, and improve their record against teams from the Southern Conference to 13-6.
With her 20 points, Ali set a new career high in scoring, surpassing her previous career high of 19 points, which she set against Duquesne on Nov. 7, 2010. Joining Ali in double digit scoring were fellow co-captain Liz Repella, who had 17 points on the night, and sophomores Asya Bussie and Ayana Dunning, who had ten each.
“I thought Madina Ali was our energy, again, from the beginning,” said coach Carey. “I like the emotion and intensity she plays with; it’s contagious.”
“Madina is playing really well and that’s all credit to her,” added Repella. “She has really worked hard. All summer she worked on her offensive game and you can really tell. Percentage-wise she is shooting really well and she is really doing a lot for us.”
Bussie also recorded season highs in both scoring and rebounding (11), achieving the third double-double of her career and first of the season.
Repella joined her teammates in setting personal records as well, as she recorded 80 percent (4-of-5) from the three-point range, an outstanding statistic that garnered her entrance into the WVU Coliseum single game leader record book.
Forcing 24 turnovers and collecting 15 steals, the Mountaineer defense was able to effectively stifle the Phoenix (4-3, 0-1) offense, holding Elon to just 25 percent (3-of-12) from the three-point line, and 37.0 percent (20-of-54) from inside the arc. Brooke Hampton also played another solid game for the Mountaineers at guard, grabbing four steals and dishing out three assists, while recording her fifth game without a single turnover.
“Defense is always important,” remarked Ali. “I think we still wanted to show the energy we had in the Virgin Islands. We wanted to bring that energy to our home court because we hadn’t been looking like we were having fun before. If we play defense and enjoy each other then the offense comes. So defense is very important.”
The Mountaineers completely controlled the first half, at one point leading by as much as 31 points. After losing the opening tip-off and going down by two on the first Elon possession of the game, Korinne Campbell jumpstarted the offense with six straight points. Over the first 12:32, the Mountaineers went on a 37-4 run, shooting 81.8 percent (9-of-11). Elon battled back, making a 22-8 run over the final 7:28 into halftime.
The Phoenix offense was led by sophomore guard Ali Ford, who was able to break through and put up 15 points on the Mountaineer defense, and junior guard Tiara Gause, who put up ten of her own. Senior guard Julie Taylor and freshman guard Kelsey Harris also contributed, scoring nine and eight points, respectively.
The Mountaineers return to the Coliseum on Saturday night, to play host to High Point. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
With the win, the Mountaineers (7-0) now boast a record 23-straight home game win streak, and improve their record against teams from the Southern Conference to 13-6.
With her 20 points, Ali set a new career high in scoring, surpassing her previous career high of 19 points, which she set against Duquesne on Nov. 7, 2010. Joining Ali in double digit scoring were fellow co-captain Liz Repella, who had 17 points on the night, and sophomores Asya Bussie and Ayana Dunning, who had ten each.
“I thought Madina Ali was our energy, again, from the beginning,” said coach Carey. “I like the emotion and intensity she plays with; it’s contagious.”
“Madina is playing really well and that’s all credit to her,” added Repella. “She has really worked hard. All summer she worked on her offensive game and you can really tell. Percentage-wise she is shooting really well and she is really doing a lot for us.”
Bussie also recorded season highs in both scoring and rebounding (11), achieving the third double-double of her career and first of the season.
Repella joined her teammates in setting personal records as well, as she recorded 80 percent (4-of-5) from the three-point range, an outstanding statistic that garnered her entrance into the WVU Coliseum single game leader record book.
Forcing 24 turnovers and collecting 15 steals, the Mountaineer defense was able to effectively stifle the Phoenix (4-3, 0-1) offense, holding Elon to just 25 percent (3-of-12) from the three-point line, and 37.0 percent (20-of-54) from inside the arc. Brooke Hampton also played another solid game for the Mountaineers at guard, grabbing four steals and dishing out three assists, while recording her fifth game without a single turnover.
“Defense is always important,” remarked Ali. “I think we still wanted to show the energy we had in the Virgin Islands. We wanted to bring that energy to our home court because we hadn’t been looking like we were having fun before. If we play defense and enjoy each other then the offense comes. So defense is very important.”
The Mountaineers completely controlled the first half, at one point leading by as much as 31 points. After losing the opening tip-off and going down by two on the first Elon possession of the game, Korinne Campbell jumpstarted the offense with six straight points. Over the first 12:32, the Mountaineers went on a 37-4 run, shooting 81.8 percent (9-of-11). Elon battled back, making a 22-8 run over the final 7:28 into halftime.
The Phoenix offense was led by sophomore guard Ali Ford, who was able to break through and put up 15 points on the Mountaineer defense, and junior guard Tiara Gause, who put up ten of her own. Senior guard Julie Taylor and freshman guard Kelsey Harris also contributed, scoring nine and eight points, respectively.
The Mountaineers return to the Coliseum on Saturday night, to play host to High Point. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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