WVU Women Set to Host Syracuse
January 14, 2011 04:58 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – The West Virginia women’s basketball team looks to extend its home court winning streak to 29 games when it plays host to BIG EAST opponent Syracuse on Saturday afternoon in a 4 p.m. tip.
The contest marks a crucial game for the Mountaineers (16-1, 3-1 BIG EAST), who are coming off of their first and only loss of the season against Marquette. Despite holding a 10-8 all-time series advantage over the Orange (13-3, 1-2 BIG EAST), including a 5-2 overall record at home, West Virginia only won the last home meeting by one point, 69-68.
Syracuse is coming off of a recent BIG EAST loss of its own, dropping its latest contest on Tuesday against Rutgers.
“I just feel like the seniors should have a chip on our shoulders,” Sarah Miles said. “We went to Syracuse last year and got demolished; we lost to them by 20 or so points. And we were so close to being a ranked team then. We’re still a ranked team now and we don’t want the same thing to happen. We definitely don’t want a repeat.”
The Orange are in search of their first road win, and will be looking to sophomore center Kayla Alexander for leadership. Alexander averages 14.4 points per game and leads the BIG EAST with a 59.4 (85-143) field goal percentage. She also holds the fifth-highest free throw percentage as she has converted 80.3 percent (61-76) from the charity stripe this season. Defensively, Alexander also leads the league in blocked shots as she averages 3.4 blocks a game, tallying 54 up to this point.
The team’s second leading scorer is sophomore guard Elashier Hall, who averages 11.9 points per game and currently holds the league’s best 3-point field goal percentage (47.2%). She also led the team in scoring against Rutgers, putting up 23 points against the Scarlet Knights.
“Syracuse is really athletic and they rebound well,” said Madina Ali. “They attack the basket and run their transition just as well as anybody else. They also have guards that can shoot, so all around they have the inside and outside. On Saturday, we have to go out there and compete and have our heads on, ready to go.”
Iasia Hemingway rounds out the top three scorers, as she averages 11.8 points per game, while Carson Tyson-Thomas ties for the top average in rebounding (7.8 rpg) with Alexander. Tyson-Thomas pulled down 10 boards in her last outing against Rutgers, and currently holds the eighth-highest rebounding average in the BIG EAST.
“Syracuse is better than Marquette,” Coach Mike Carey explained. “They’re more athletic, they’re bigger and stronger and more physical. And they run the floor a lot better than Marquette. That’s the problem in the BIG EAST. It’s not like you can play an easier team after a loss; you’re going to play a tougher team. We’ll see what we’re made of and if we are what we say we are, then we’ll see what happens Saturday.”
The Mountaineers were able to take some positives out of their loss at Marquette. They held the Golden Eagles to less than 50 percent shooting from the field, and have now done so with every opponent this season. They continue to lead the country in scoring defense, limiting opponents to 47.6 points per game, and blocked shots, as they average 7.1 blocks per game. The team also ranks 18th nationally for steals, averaging 12.3 per game.
Liz Repella (14.1 ppg), Madina Ali (13.1 ppg) and Asya Bussie (7.7 ppg) remain the top three in scoring. Repella put up 15 points in the loss against Marquette, with Ali following close behind and scoring 14. Ali also leads WVU in rebounding as she averages 7.5 boards a game.
Saturday’s game is a Dairy Mart Dollar Day. Stop by any Morgantown area Dairy Mart to pick up a $1 admission coupon to the game.
MSNsportsNET.com will offer complete game coverage with a live video stream and live stats. Saturday’s game will also be broadcast live by WVPBS with Hoppy Kercheval and former WVU basketball standout Warren Baker on the call.
The contest marks a crucial game for the Mountaineers (16-1, 3-1 BIG EAST), who are coming off of their first and only loss of the season against Marquette. Despite holding a 10-8 all-time series advantage over the Orange (13-3, 1-2 BIG EAST), including a 5-2 overall record at home, West Virginia only won the last home meeting by one point, 69-68.
Syracuse is coming off of a recent BIG EAST loss of its own, dropping its latest contest on Tuesday against Rutgers.
“I just feel like the seniors should have a chip on our shoulders,” Sarah Miles said. “We went to Syracuse last year and got demolished; we lost to them by 20 or so points. And we were so close to being a ranked team then. We’re still a ranked team now and we don’t want the same thing to happen. We definitely don’t want a repeat.”
The Orange are in search of their first road win, and will be looking to sophomore center Kayla Alexander for leadership. Alexander averages 14.4 points per game and leads the BIG EAST with a 59.4 (85-143) field goal percentage. She also holds the fifth-highest free throw percentage as she has converted 80.3 percent (61-76) from the charity stripe this season. Defensively, Alexander also leads the league in blocked shots as she averages 3.4 blocks a game, tallying 54 up to this point.
The team’s second leading scorer is sophomore guard Elashier Hall, who averages 11.9 points per game and currently holds the league’s best 3-point field goal percentage (47.2%). She also led the team in scoring against Rutgers, putting up 23 points against the Scarlet Knights.
“Syracuse is really athletic and they rebound well,” said Madina Ali. “They attack the basket and run their transition just as well as anybody else. They also have guards that can shoot, so all around they have the inside and outside. On Saturday, we have to go out there and compete and have our heads on, ready to go.”
Iasia Hemingway rounds out the top three scorers, as she averages 11.8 points per game, while Carson Tyson-Thomas ties for the top average in rebounding (7.8 rpg) with Alexander. Tyson-Thomas pulled down 10 boards in her last outing against Rutgers, and currently holds the eighth-highest rebounding average in the BIG EAST.
“Syracuse is better than Marquette,” Coach Mike Carey explained. “They’re more athletic, they’re bigger and stronger and more physical. And they run the floor a lot better than Marquette. That’s the problem in the BIG EAST. It’s not like you can play an easier team after a loss; you’re going to play a tougher team. We’ll see what we’re made of and if we are what we say we are, then we’ll see what happens Saturday.”
The Mountaineers were able to take some positives out of their loss at Marquette. They held the Golden Eagles to less than 50 percent shooting from the field, and have now done so with every opponent this season. They continue to lead the country in scoring defense, limiting opponents to 47.6 points per game, and blocked shots, as they average 7.1 blocks per game. The team also ranks 18th nationally for steals, averaging 12.3 per game.
Liz Repella (14.1 ppg), Madina Ali (13.1 ppg) and Asya Bussie (7.7 ppg) remain the top three in scoring. Repella put up 15 points in the loss against Marquette, with Ali following close behind and scoring 14. Ali also leads WVU in rebounding as she averages 7.5 boards a game.
Saturday’s game is a Dairy Mart Dollar Day. Stop by any Morgantown area Dairy Mart to pick up a $1 admission coupon to the game.
MSNsportsNET.com will offer complete game coverage with a live video stream and live stats. Saturday’s game will also be broadcast live by WVPBS with Hoppy Kercheval and former WVU basketball standout Warren Baker on the call.
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