WVU Women Travel to DePaul
January 29, 2011 02:28 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – College basketball fans are aware of how tough the BIG EAST Conference is on the men’s side. But it’s important to note that the women’s side is just as tough, with five teams currently ranked in the Top 25. Of those five teams, four are ranked in the Top 15.
Take DePaul for example, the team that No. 8 West Virginia will face on Sunday afternoon at McGrath Arena in a 4 p.m. tip. Despite being ranked at No. 12, the Blue Demons (20-2, 7-0 BIG EAST) remain an underestimated and underrated team in the eyes of many. This is a squad that beat then-No. 2 Stanford by 20 points, 91-71, at home in mid-December. Two weeks later, Stanford turned around and abruptly ended UConn’s historic 90-game win streak.
For coach Mike Carey and the Mountaineers (19-2, 5-2 BIG EAST), DePaul will be the second-straight ranked team they will face on the road, having lost to No. 19 Georgetown at McDonough Arena on Tuesday night.
“Anytime you have two away games it may be against ranked teams because you’re playing in the BIG EAST,” Carey explained. “It just so happens that both of these teams were ranked. We just have to do a better job of execution down the stretch.”
DePaul has four players averaging in the double-digits in scoring, led by junior forward Keisha Hampton who averages 15.6 points per game, a statistic that places her in sixth place in the BIG EAST in scoring. Hampton is followed by senior forward Felicia Chester, who puts up an average of 11.7 points per game, and senior guard Sam Quigley and sophomore guard Anna Martin, who average 10.9 and 10.8 points per game, respectively.
“DePaul is a real good basketball team,” Carey said. “They have two guards back, and a point guard that creates off the dribble for them, which is something they didn’t have last year. They have four girls averaging double figures so it’s not like you can take out one or two and focus on them. A couple of others are averaging eight or nine points, so they’re a tough team to defend.”
Junior guard/forward Taylor Pikes and sophomore forward Katharine Harry remain just outside the top four in scoring, with 8.0 and 7.5 points per game, respectively. What makes these two players a threat is their rebounding abilities, as they are the top two rebounders on the team, each averaging more than six rebounds per game.
Harry also leads the team in blocked shots with 43, and her 2.0 blocked shots per game average is the third-highest in the league.
“We have had time to prepare for DePaul and we’ve watched film on them,” said Liz Repella. “They look good on tape. They have a strong post presence and they have tough guards too, people who can shoot it and people who can drive the ball. We’re going to have our hands full; they’re a good team.”
Similar to the Mountaineers, DePaul returned all five starters from last year, and are defending a home court win streak of their own as they are currently tied with Baylor for the 14th longest active home court win streak with 14-straight wins.
Coming off of their recent loss at Georgetown, the Mountaineers have had some time to prepare for DePaul and are hoping to regroup as they did after their first loss of the season at Marquette back in early January. After that loss, West Virginia won three-straight games, defeating Syracuse, Marshall and USF.
The team will need to rely on its top-ranked scoring defense to prevent DePaul from effectively using its four double-digit scorers. West Virginia has held every opponent, except for Georgetown, to less than 50 percent shooting from the field and are second in the country in blocked shots per game (6.8) and 19th nationally for steals per game (12.3).
Liz Repella continues to lead the team in scoring, averaging 14.0 points per game while also leading the team in steals with 45. She also remains second on the team in rebounding behind Madina Ali, with 5.4 rebounds per game.
“I think she’s been consistent on both sides of the floor,” Carey said. “I can’t say enough positive things about Liz (Repella). I don’t know where we’d be without her, on and off the floor. She’s just been a positive influence on everybody. She’s been very consistent and is a team leader that doesn’t care if she’s scoring or not scoring as long as we’re winning.”
Although suffering from a stress fracture that has prevented her from practicing this week, Ali is still expected to start on Sunday afternoon. She currently averages 13.5 points per game to go along with a team-leading 7.1 rebounds per game.
Sarah Miles, Asya Bussie and Korinne Campbell round out the five expected starters.
The contest will be televised on ESPNU, with Jim Barbar and Brooke Weisbrod on the call. In addition, MSNsportsNET.com will provide live audio and statistics.
Take DePaul for example, the team that No. 8 West Virginia will face on Sunday afternoon at McGrath Arena in a 4 p.m. tip. Despite being ranked at No. 12, the Blue Demons (20-2, 7-0 BIG EAST) remain an underestimated and underrated team in the eyes of many. This is a squad that beat then-No. 2 Stanford by 20 points, 91-71, at home in mid-December. Two weeks later, Stanford turned around and abruptly ended UConn’s historic 90-game win streak.
For coach Mike Carey and the Mountaineers (19-2, 5-2 BIG EAST), DePaul will be the second-straight ranked team they will face on the road, having lost to No. 19 Georgetown at McDonough Arena on Tuesday night.
“Anytime you have two away games it may be against ranked teams because you’re playing in the BIG EAST,” Carey explained. “It just so happens that both of these teams were ranked. We just have to do a better job of execution down the stretch.”
DePaul has four players averaging in the double-digits in scoring, led by junior forward Keisha Hampton who averages 15.6 points per game, a statistic that places her in sixth place in the BIG EAST in scoring. Hampton is followed by senior forward Felicia Chester, who puts up an average of 11.7 points per game, and senior guard Sam Quigley and sophomore guard Anna Martin, who average 10.9 and 10.8 points per game, respectively.
“DePaul is a real good basketball team,” Carey said. “They have two guards back, and a point guard that creates off the dribble for them, which is something they didn’t have last year. They have four girls averaging double figures so it’s not like you can take out one or two and focus on them. A couple of others are averaging eight or nine points, so they’re a tough team to defend.”
Junior guard/forward Taylor Pikes and sophomore forward Katharine Harry remain just outside the top four in scoring, with 8.0 and 7.5 points per game, respectively. What makes these two players a threat is their rebounding abilities, as they are the top two rebounders on the team, each averaging more than six rebounds per game.
Harry also leads the team in blocked shots with 43, and her 2.0 blocked shots per game average is the third-highest in the league.
“We have had time to prepare for DePaul and we’ve watched film on them,” said Liz Repella. “They look good on tape. They have a strong post presence and they have tough guards too, people who can shoot it and people who can drive the ball. We’re going to have our hands full; they’re a good team.”
Similar to the Mountaineers, DePaul returned all five starters from last year, and are defending a home court win streak of their own as they are currently tied with Baylor for the 14th longest active home court win streak with 14-straight wins.
Coming off of their recent loss at Georgetown, the Mountaineers have had some time to prepare for DePaul and are hoping to regroup as they did after their first loss of the season at Marquette back in early January. After that loss, West Virginia won three-straight games, defeating Syracuse, Marshall and USF.
The team will need to rely on its top-ranked scoring defense to prevent DePaul from effectively using its four double-digit scorers. West Virginia has held every opponent, except for Georgetown, to less than 50 percent shooting from the field and are second in the country in blocked shots per game (6.8) and 19th nationally for steals per game (12.3).
Liz Repella continues to lead the team in scoring, averaging 14.0 points per game while also leading the team in steals with 45. She also remains second on the team in rebounding behind Madina Ali, with 5.4 rebounds per game.
“I think she’s been consistent on both sides of the floor,” Carey said. “I can’t say enough positive things about Liz (Repella). I don’t know where we’d be without her, on and off the floor. She’s just been a positive influence on everybody. She’s been very consistent and is a team leader that doesn’t care if she’s scoring or not scoring as long as we’re winning.”
Although suffering from a stress fracture that has prevented her from practicing this week, Ali is still expected to start on Sunday afternoon. She currently averages 13.5 points per game to go along with a team-leading 7.1 rebounds per game.
Sarah Miles, Asya Bussie and Korinne Campbell round out the five expected starters.
The contest will be televised on ESPNU, with Jim Barbar and Brooke Weisbrod on the call. In addition, MSNsportsNET.com will provide live audio and statistics.
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