Repella, Ali Lead WVU Past NCCU
December 21, 2010 09:09 PM | General
DURHAM, N.C. – Senior co-captains Liz Repella and Madina Ali led the 6th ranked Mountaineers to a 71-39 win over North Carolina Central on Tuesday night at McDougald-McLendon gym.
Win the win, the Mountaineers (12-0) remain undefeated, and have now held all opposing offenses to under 60 points.
“We are 12-0 for the first time in school history,” said coach Carey. “They have a lot to be proud of, but need to realize that they have a lot of work coming up in BIG EAST play.”
All together, five Mountaineers had double-digit games, led by Repella, who put up 17 points and pulled down seven boards. Ali followed by notching her fourth double-double of the season against the Lady Eagles (2-9), scoring 11 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Her six steals on the night also marked a career-high.
Fellow senior and starter Korinne Campbell put up 11 points, marking her third consecutive 11 point performance, and Jessica Harlee and Asya Bussie rounded out the top five, each scoring ten points. For true freshman Harlee, her ten points in only 21 minutes of play was also a career-high.
“I thought Jess (Harlee) came in and got up the lanes defensively,” Coach Carey remarked. “She ran the floor and really started attacking the rim against the zone and was able to get some other people open.”
After getting off to a very dominant start, West Virginia struggled with the challenging half court play the Lady Eagles presented. The defense was ultimately able to prevent North Carolina Central from coming any closer than 15 points, however, forcing 27 turnovers while tallying 17 steals and nine blocks. The Mountaineers were also able to win the rebounding battle, out-rebounding the Lady Eagles, 43-33.
“We got off to a great start and we need to keep that going; great teams do that and they don’t lapse,” commented Repella. “We didn’t pressure them enough and you can’t do that. We are happy with a win, but we didn’t play to our potential and we need to get better for BIG EAST play. Our offense stems from our defense and that’s when we play our best, when we play our defense.”
The Mountaineers firmly took charge during the first half, the starting five of Brooke Hampton, Repella, Bussie, Campbell and Ali putting up 20 unanswered points by the time four minutes had passed. At that point, they were 7-of-8 from the floor, including 2-of-2 from the 3-point line. They also led in rebounding, 5-0.
Despite getting out to this strong start, the Lady Eagles were able to rally and go on a scoring run, at one point outscoring the Mountaineers, 20-18. Much as they struggled with half court play against Villanova, the Mountaineers again struggled with the half court play of the Lady Eagles.
“We got off to a great start with hitting our shots, and then we quit playing hard and turned the ball over. They got in the zone and we started standing around a little. We didn’t execute in the zone well tonight. We were double teamed and turned the ball over and didn’t hit our threes,” explained coach Carey.
North Carolina Central was led by redshirt sophomore guard Chasidy Williams, who was able to put up ten points on the Mountaineer defense. Williams was followed by senior guard Shanise Blanks, who scored eight points, and sophomore forward J’Mia Pollock and redshirt senior forward Jori Nwachukwu, who each had five.
The Mountaineers return to action on Dec.30, when they travel to Olean, N.Y., to take on non-conference opponent St. Bonaventure. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
Win the win, the Mountaineers (12-0) remain undefeated, and have now held all opposing offenses to under 60 points.
“We are 12-0 for the first time in school history,” said coach Carey. “They have a lot to be proud of, but need to realize that they have a lot of work coming up in BIG EAST play.”
All together, five Mountaineers had double-digit games, led by Repella, who put up 17 points and pulled down seven boards. Ali followed by notching her fourth double-double of the season against the Lady Eagles (2-9), scoring 11 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Her six steals on the night also marked a career-high.
Fellow senior and starter Korinne Campbell put up 11 points, marking her third consecutive 11 point performance, and Jessica Harlee and Asya Bussie rounded out the top five, each scoring ten points. For true freshman Harlee, her ten points in only 21 minutes of play was also a career-high.
“I thought Jess (Harlee) came in and got up the lanes defensively,” Coach Carey remarked. “She ran the floor and really started attacking the rim against the zone and was able to get some other people open.”
After getting off to a very dominant start, West Virginia struggled with the challenging half court play the Lady Eagles presented. The defense was ultimately able to prevent North Carolina Central from coming any closer than 15 points, however, forcing 27 turnovers while tallying 17 steals and nine blocks. The Mountaineers were also able to win the rebounding battle, out-rebounding the Lady Eagles, 43-33.
“We got off to a great start and we need to keep that going; great teams do that and they don’t lapse,” commented Repella. “We didn’t pressure them enough and you can’t do that. We are happy with a win, but we didn’t play to our potential and we need to get better for BIG EAST play. Our offense stems from our defense and that’s when we play our best, when we play our defense.”
The Mountaineers firmly took charge during the first half, the starting five of Brooke Hampton, Repella, Bussie, Campbell and Ali putting up 20 unanswered points by the time four minutes had passed. At that point, they were 7-of-8 from the floor, including 2-of-2 from the 3-point line. They also led in rebounding, 5-0.
Despite getting out to this strong start, the Lady Eagles were able to rally and go on a scoring run, at one point outscoring the Mountaineers, 20-18. Much as they struggled with half court play against Villanova, the Mountaineers again struggled with the half court play of the Lady Eagles.
“We got off to a great start with hitting our shots, and then we quit playing hard and turned the ball over. They got in the zone and we started standing around a little. We didn’t execute in the zone well tonight. We were double teamed and turned the ball over and didn’t hit our threes,” explained coach Carey.
North Carolina Central was led by redshirt sophomore guard Chasidy Williams, who was able to put up ten points on the Mountaineer defense. Williams was followed by senior guard Shanise Blanks, who scored eight points, and sophomore forward J’Mia Pollock and redshirt senior forward Jori Nwachukwu, who each had five.
The Mountaineers return to action on Dec.30, when they travel to Olean, N.Y., to take on non-conference opponent St. Bonaventure. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
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