WVU Women Travel to Duquesne
December 16, 2011 04:16 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – When the West Virginia women’s basketball team travels to Pittsburgh on Saturday to face Duquesne in a 2 p.m. tip, they will be playing against a very familiar opponent.
The Mountaineers (7-2) have played against the Dukes (8-1) 42 times, and currently hold a 35-7 all-time series lead and a 10-0 mark under Coach Carey. In fact, the last time Duquesne earned a victory over West Virginia was in 1996, earning an 89-69 win in Pittsburgh.
But that doesn’t mean the Dukes are a team to overlook.
“They’re scoring almost 80 points a game,” said Carey. “They have a lot of people that can score inside and out, and they have good guards and good size. They’re playing very well and I think it’s going to be a tough game. There’s no doubt in my mind that this is a big game for them and it’s also a big game for us.”
Duquesne returns four starters from last year’s squad that held a 24-9 overall record, and finished third in the Atlantic-10 after going 9-5 in league play.
Senior guard Alex Gensler leads the Dukes in scoring, averaging 17.0 points per game, including 48.2 percent (27-of-56) from 3-point range, currently the eighth-highest percentage in the nation. Excellent from beyond the arc, Gensler averages 3.4 threes per game, good enough to rank sixth nationally.
Other offensive threats include sophomore forward Wumi Agunbiade, who averages 16.1 points per game, and sophomore guard/forward Orsi Szecsi who averages 10.6 points per game.
“We have to defend them and not let them have their average and we have to get up and down the floor," Carey said. "Hopefully we can get some second and third shots and create some turnovers and get some easy ones down the other end.”
Defensively, Agunbiade averages 6.6 rebounds per game, as well as 1.6 blocked shots per game. She’s followed by Szecsi who averages 6.2 rebounds per game, and junior forward Carly Vendemia who averages 4.4 rebounds per game.
The Mountaineers also need to keep an eye on senior guard Vanessa Abel, who holds the fifth-highest assist/turnover ratio nationally at 3.31, and on junior guard Jocelyn Floyd, who ranks second nationally in steals with 4.5 steals per game.
Last year, the Mountaineers defeated the Dukes at the Coliseum by a score of 69-58. In that game, senior Madina Ali earned her third career double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead West Virginia to the victory. She had help from senior teammate Liz Repella who contributed 18 points and five rebounds, and from senior Korinne Campbell and sophomore Asya Bussie who scored 10 and nine points, respectively.
With three of those four players gone to graduation last year, the young Mountaineer squad will rely on its top three scorers this year in sophomore Taylor Palmer, and juniors Bussie and Ayana Dunning.
Palmer averages 17.1 points per game, while ranking seventh nationally with 3.3 3-point field goals per game. She’s followed by Bussie, who averages 12.2 points per game and Dunning, who averages 7.4 points per game.
The Mountaineers continue to make a defensive mark nationally, ranking third-best in scoring defense (47.3) and holding the sixth-lowest field-goal percentage defense (30.4). Additionally, West Virginia ranks 10th best nationally with an 11.9 rebounding margin, and holds the 10th lowest three-point field goal defense of 22.2 points allowed.
“We cannot let them score their average of 80 points,” Carey concluded. “If we do that, we’re not going to come away with a victory.”
Live stats and audio of Saturday’s contest will be provided by MSNsportsNET.com.
The Mountaineers (7-2) have played against the Dukes (8-1) 42 times, and currently hold a 35-7 all-time series lead and a 10-0 mark under Coach Carey. In fact, the last time Duquesne earned a victory over West Virginia was in 1996, earning an 89-69 win in Pittsburgh.
But that doesn’t mean the Dukes are a team to overlook.
“They’re scoring almost 80 points a game,” said Carey. “They have a lot of people that can score inside and out, and they have good guards and good size. They’re playing very well and I think it’s going to be a tough game. There’s no doubt in my mind that this is a big game for them and it’s also a big game for us.”
Duquesne returns four starters from last year’s squad that held a 24-9 overall record, and finished third in the Atlantic-10 after going 9-5 in league play.
Senior guard Alex Gensler leads the Dukes in scoring, averaging 17.0 points per game, including 48.2 percent (27-of-56) from 3-point range, currently the eighth-highest percentage in the nation. Excellent from beyond the arc, Gensler averages 3.4 threes per game, good enough to rank sixth nationally.
Other offensive threats include sophomore forward Wumi Agunbiade, who averages 16.1 points per game, and sophomore guard/forward Orsi Szecsi who averages 10.6 points per game.
“We have to defend them and not let them have their average and we have to get up and down the floor," Carey said. "Hopefully we can get some second and third shots and create some turnovers and get some easy ones down the other end.”
Defensively, Agunbiade averages 6.6 rebounds per game, as well as 1.6 blocked shots per game. She’s followed by Szecsi who averages 6.2 rebounds per game, and junior forward Carly Vendemia who averages 4.4 rebounds per game.
The Mountaineers also need to keep an eye on senior guard Vanessa Abel, who holds the fifth-highest assist/turnover ratio nationally at 3.31, and on junior guard Jocelyn Floyd, who ranks second nationally in steals with 4.5 steals per game.
Last year, the Mountaineers defeated the Dukes at the Coliseum by a score of 69-58. In that game, senior Madina Ali earned her third career double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead West Virginia to the victory. She had help from senior teammate Liz Repella who contributed 18 points and five rebounds, and from senior Korinne Campbell and sophomore Asya Bussie who scored 10 and nine points, respectively.
With three of those four players gone to graduation last year, the young Mountaineer squad will rely on its top three scorers this year in sophomore Taylor Palmer, and juniors Bussie and Ayana Dunning.
Palmer averages 17.1 points per game, while ranking seventh nationally with 3.3 3-point field goals per game. She’s followed by Bussie, who averages 12.2 points per game and Dunning, who averages 7.4 points per game.
The Mountaineers continue to make a defensive mark nationally, ranking third-best in scoring defense (47.3) and holding the sixth-lowest field-goal percentage defense (30.4). Additionally, West Virginia ranks 10th best nationally with an 11.9 rebounding margin, and holds the 10th lowest three-point field goal defense of 22.2 points allowed.
“We cannot let them score their average of 80 points,” Carey concluded. “If we do that, we’re not going to come away with a victory.”
Live stats and audio of Saturday’s contest will be provided by MSNsportsNET.com.
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