Mountaineers Defeat Mount St. Mary's
December 20, 2011 10:14 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – The West Virginia women’s basketball team defeated Mount St. Mary’s, 94-32, at the Coliseum on Tuesday night.
The Mountaineers (8-3) knew coming into the game that they would need to rebound after a tough loss to Duquesne on Saturday afternoon. And they did just that, starting the game off on an 11-2 run from which they would only build the lead.
“I will never put that game (Duquesne) out of my mind and neither will they ever put it out of their minds,” coach Carey said. “We have got to learn from that game. We need to learn from that because all of a sudden, we get to this second semester in January and we are going to play BIG EAST teams. Nobody, you can believe me, is going to take it easy on us.”
West Virginia had all five starters score in double figures, with sophomore Taylor Palmer leading the way with 21 points. She was followed by redshirt-sophomore Christal Caldwell, who scored a season-high 17 points, junior Asya Bussie who posted 13 points, and sophomore Jess Harlee and freshman Linda Stepney who each had 10. Stepney’s 10 points were also career-high.
The last time West Virginia had all five starters score in double figures was on November 13, 2009 during a preseason WNIT game at home against Towson. Liz Repella, Bussie, Korinne Campbell, Sarah Miles and Madina Ali combined for 65 of the Mountaineers’ 79 total points on that night, leading the team to a win.
The Mountaineers continued their defensive streak against The Mount (5-5), holding them to a mere 23.9 percent (11-of-46) from the field and to only 23.5 percent (4-of-17) from beyond the arc. Mount St. Mary’s shot 60 percent (6-of-10) from the line.
In contrast, West Virginia shot 60 percent (36-of-60) from the field while shooting 42.9 percent (6-of-14) from 3-point range. Palmer led the Mountaineers with four threes, and now has a team-leading 35 threes on the season.
“Taylor Palmer shot well from the perimeter,” Carey said. “I wanted to get the ball inside a little bit more than what we did and I thought we did a better job getting the ball inside during the second half.”
Additionally, the Mountaineers dominated on the boards, pulling down a total of 46 rebounds in comparison to Mount St. Mary’s’ 21. They also forced 25 turnovers, from which they capitalized by scoring 34 points.
Senior Natalie Burton collected a career-high four blocks against The Mount, while Stepney led the team in steals with four, another career-high. Overall, West Virginia had seven blocks and 12 steals on the night.
“Linda (Stepney) attacked a little bit and wasn’t so tentative so that
was good to see,” said Carey. “It was also good to get a lot of people playing time going into break.
Mount St. Mary’s was led by sophomore Ashley Christie who had 10 points, and sophomore Jessie Kaufman who had nine.
“Overall, I was pleased,” concluded Carey. “I thought they came out with a little bit of attitude. I want a little bit of attitude on this team. I want a little bit of a chip on their shoulder on this team. I want a little bit of meanness on this team.”
The Mountaineers return to action on Wednesday, Dec. 28 when they play host to Bucknell in a noon tip. Live stats and video will be provided by MSNsportsNET.com.
The Mountaineers (8-3) knew coming into the game that they would need to rebound after a tough loss to Duquesne on Saturday afternoon. And they did just that, starting the game off on an 11-2 run from which they would only build the lead.
“I will never put that game (Duquesne) out of my mind and neither will they ever put it out of their minds,” coach Carey said. “We have got to learn from that game. We need to learn from that because all of a sudden, we get to this second semester in January and we are going to play BIG EAST teams. Nobody, you can believe me, is going to take it easy on us.”
West Virginia had all five starters score in double figures, with sophomore Taylor Palmer leading the way with 21 points. She was followed by redshirt-sophomore Christal Caldwell, who scored a season-high 17 points, junior Asya Bussie who posted 13 points, and sophomore Jess Harlee and freshman Linda Stepney who each had 10. Stepney’s 10 points were also career-high.
The last time West Virginia had all five starters score in double figures was on November 13, 2009 during a preseason WNIT game at home against Towson. Liz Repella, Bussie, Korinne Campbell, Sarah Miles and Madina Ali combined for 65 of the Mountaineers’ 79 total points on that night, leading the team to a win.
The Mountaineers continued their defensive streak against The Mount (5-5), holding them to a mere 23.9 percent (11-of-46) from the field and to only 23.5 percent (4-of-17) from beyond the arc. Mount St. Mary’s shot 60 percent (6-of-10) from the line.
In contrast, West Virginia shot 60 percent (36-of-60) from the field while shooting 42.9 percent (6-of-14) from 3-point range. Palmer led the Mountaineers with four threes, and now has a team-leading 35 threes on the season.
“Taylor Palmer shot well from the perimeter,” Carey said. “I wanted to get the ball inside a little bit more than what we did and I thought we did a better job getting the ball inside during the second half.”
Additionally, the Mountaineers dominated on the boards, pulling down a total of 46 rebounds in comparison to Mount St. Mary’s’ 21. They also forced 25 turnovers, from which they capitalized by scoring 34 points.
Senior Natalie Burton collected a career-high four blocks against The Mount, while Stepney led the team in steals with four, another career-high. Overall, West Virginia had seven blocks and 12 steals on the night.
“Linda (Stepney) attacked a little bit and wasn’t so tentative so that
was good to see,” said Carey. “It was also good to get a lot of people playing time going into break.
Mount St. Mary’s was led by sophomore Ashley Christie who had 10 points, and sophomore Jessie Kaufman who had nine.
“Overall, I was pleased,” concluded Carey. “I thought they came out with a little bit of attitude. I want a little bit of attitude on this team. I want a little bit of a chip on their shoulder on this team. I want a little bit of meanness on this team.”
The Mountaineers return to action on Wednesday, Dec. 28 when they play host to Bucknell in a noon tip. Live stats and video will be provided by MSNsportsNET.com.
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