West Virginia To Face Georgetown
January 24, 2011 03:50 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – The eighth-ranked West Virginia women’s basketball team has a tough schedule ahead of itself this week. With No. 19 Georgetown preparing to host the Mountaineers on Tuesday, and No. 12 DePaul waiting for them on Sunday, the team is well aware of the challenge this week presents.
“These are two very big and important games,” said Korinne Campbell. “It’s all about preparation and when we get into the game we have to make sure we execute. Every single play is important.”
“I don’t want to look ahead but DePaul is a really good team,” Liz Repella added. “Both teams are very good and we’re going to have to be focused and take them one at a time. We’re more focused on Georgetown now.”
The Mountaineers (19-1, 5-1 BIG EAST) travel to Washington D.C. on Tuesday to face the Hoyas (15-5, 3-3 BIG EAST) at McDonough Arena in a 7 p.m. tip. Known for being extremely aggressive and athletic, Georgetown will be one of the toughest teams West Virginia has faced so far this season.
The Hoyas are led by sophomore guard Sugar Rodgers, who averages 18 points per game, the second-highest scoring average in the BIG EAST. Named First Team All-BIG EAST last year, Rodgers is also shooting 43.1 percent (127-295) from the field and 35.5 percent (49-138) from 3-point range, with 49 3s, the third most in the league this season.
“We have to stay up on her and limit her touches,” Coach Mike Carey stated. “Needless to say, she’s going to look for a lot of shots. We have to be aware of where she’s at, at all times.”
Rodgers is followed in scoring by senior guard Monica McNutt, who currently averages 11.2 points per game and has made 39 3-pointers. Junior forward Tia McGee rounds out the top three in scoring, posting an average of 8.1 points per game.
Junior guard Rubylee Wright will also prove a tough opponent, as she averages 8.0 points per game, and leads the team in assists with 105, a statistic good enough for second most in the conference.
“We realize that we’re going to have to play extremely well defensively and offensively; we need to score some points,” Carey explained. “We’re not going to hold them down like we do some other teams, so we’re going to have to be efficient on offense.”
The Mountaineers head into Tuesday’s game looking for their 20th win of the season. Despite being 9-11 in the all-time series, West Virginia is 7-3 under the direction of Carey and have won five of the last six games against the Hoyas.
Repella is expected to lead the team in scoring, as she averages 13.7 points per game. She also continues to lead the team in steals (42) and comes in second in rebounding (5.6 rpg) behind Madina Ali.
Ali is second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.6 points per game. She leads the team in rebounds, pulling down 7.3 per game and is the most accurate player on the team from the field, shooting 58 percent (105-181) to emerge as a leader. Despite suffering from a stress fracture in her lower left leg, Ali is still expected to play on Tuesday night.
Asya Bussie continues to round out the top three in scoring, putting up an average of 7.3 points per game while leading the team in blocks with 39. Sarah Miles is also expected to contribute, coming off of Saturday’s game against USF in which she scored a season-high 16 points.
“We have a great group of young ladies and they’ve done everything we’ve asked of them,” Carey said. “We don’t always play well and we don’t always do what we should be doing as far as execution, but it’s not from a lack of effort. They want to do well and they work hard in practice to get better.”
Tuesday’s game will be televised on CBS College Sports. MSNsportsNET.com will also provide live audio and stats with Travis Jones on the call.
“These are two very big and important games,” said Korinne Campbell. “It’s all about preparation and when we get into the game we have to make sure we execute. Every single play is important.”
“I don’t want to look ahead but DePaul is a really good team,” Liz Repella added. “Both teams are very good and we’re going to have to be focused and take them one at a time. We’re more focused on Georgetown now.”
The Mountaineers (19-1, 5-1 BIG EAST) travel to Washington D.C. on Tuesday to face the Hoyas (15-5, 3-3 BIG EAST) at McDonough Arena in a 7 p.m. tip. Known for being extremely aggressive and athletic, Georgetown will be one of the toughest teams West Virginia has faced so far this season.
The Hoyas are led by sophomore guard Sugar Rodgers, who averages 18 points per game, the second-highest scoring average in the BIG EAST. Named First Team All-BIG EAST last year, Rodgers is also shooting 43.1 percent (127-295) from the field and 35.5 percent (49-138) from 3-point range, with 49 3s, the third most in the league this season.
“We have to stay up on her and limit her touches,” Coach Mike Carey stated. “Needless to say, she’s going to look for a lot of shots. We have to be aware of where she’s at, at all times.”
Rodgers is followed in scoring by senior guard Monica McNutt, who currently averages 11.2 points per game and has made 39 3-pointers. Junior forward Tia McGee rounds out the top three in scoring, posting an average of 8.1 points per game.
Junior guard Rubylee Wright will also prove a tough opponent, as she averages 8.0 points per game, and leads the team in assists with 105, a statistic good enough for second most in the conference.
“We realize that we’re going to have to play extremely well defensively and offensively; we need to score some points,” Carey explained. “We’re not going to hold them down like we do some other teams, so we’re going to have to be efficient on offense.”
The Mountaineers head into Tuesday’s game looking for their 20th win of the season. Despite being 9-11 in the all-time series, West Virginia is 7-3 under the direction of Carey and have won five of the last six games against the Hoyas.
Repella is expected to lead the team in scoring, as she averages 13.7 points per game. She also continues to lead the team in steals (42) and comes in second in rebounding (5.6 rpg) behind Madina Ali.
Ali is second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.6 points per game. She leads the team in rebounds, pulling down 7.3 per game and is the most accurate player on the team from the field, shooting 58 percent (105-181) to emerge as a leader. Despite suffering from a stress fracture in her lower left leg, Ali is still expected to play on Tuesday night.
Asya Bussie continues to round out the top three in scoring, putting up an average of 7.3 points per game while leading the team in blocks with 39. Sarah Miles is also expected to contribute, coming off of Saturday’s game against USF in which she scored a season-high 16 points.
“We have a great group of young ladies and they’ve done everything we’ve asked of them,” Carey said. “We don’t always play well and we don’t always do what we should be doing as far as execution, but it’s not from a lack of effort. They want to do well and they work hard in practice to get better.”
Tuesday’s game will be televised on CBS College Sports. MSNsportsNET.com will also provide live audio and stats with Travis Jones on the call.
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