West Virginia Upsets No. 12 Cardinals
February 04, 2012 07:30 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – The West Virginia University women’s basketball team upset No. 12 Louisville, 66-50, in front 4,537 fans, the tenth largest crowd all-time, at the Coliseum on Saturday afternoon.
The win marks the first time West Virginia has upset a ranked team at the Coliseum since Jan. 29, 2008, when they defeated No. 4 Rutgers, 63-54. At the time, West Virginia was ranked No. 12.
It also marks the second time in three years that West Virginia upset a ranked Louisville team, as it defeated then-No. 5 Louisville, 79-70, on Feb. 7, 2009.
“They came out and followed the game plan very well,” said coach Mike Carey. “They played hard for 40 minutes and I am very proud of them. Louisville has a lot of talent and they are ranked so it is a good win.”
The Mountaineers (17-6, 7-3 BIG EAST) began to pull ahead at the 7:35 mark in the first half, using strong defense to stifle the Cardinals’ shooting, allowing for a 17-5 scoring run. West Virginia would take a 38-24 lead into the locker room, which they quickly built to a 45-24 lead within the first three minutes of the second half.
Louisville did not come any closer than 12 points for the remainder of the game.
Junior Asya Bussie earned her sixth career double-double in the win, as she scored 18 points and pulled down 11 rebounds for the Mountaineers. She was followed by freshman Linda Stepney, with a career-best 14 points, redshirt sophomore Christal Caldwell who scored 12 points, and redshirt junior Ayana Dunning with 11 points.
“When Asya and Yaya are playing and they are focused, they are as good of a tandem as anybody in the country,” Carey said. “I don’t care who it is high or low. Yaya can shoot the ball. Yaya can pass. Asya can score and Asya did an excellent job of sealing up against the zone and man. She was active today and that is something that we want to continue to see out of Asya. Our guards for the most part did a good job of getting her the ball.”
The Mountaineers converted 42.1 percent (24-of-57) from the field, 23.5 percent (4-of-17) from beyond the arc and 73.7 percent (14-of-19) from the line.
The Cardinals (17-6, 6-4 BIG EAST) shot better from 3-point range than the Mountaineers did, going 35.0 percent (7-of-20) from beyond the arc.
However, they shot slightly less from the field at 40.0 percent (20-of-50), and less from the charity stripe at 60.0 percent (3-of-5).
Defensively, West Virginia held Louisville to its lowest point total this season. Previously, Louisville’s lowest point total was 54 points, against then-No.12/10 Kentucky.
The Mountaineers also continued their streak of out-rebounding all but one league opponent by dominating on the boards against Louisville. The Mountaineers pulled down 39 rebounds to Louisville’s 27.
Behind Bussie, Caldwell had eight rebounds and sophomore Jess Harlee had five.
“Even though we had 17 turnovers, for the most part, we took care of the ball and didn’t start fast breaks for them,” Carey said. “That was something we were worried about was getting a steal or turnover out front and then giving them lay-ups. We did a good job there.”
Sophomore guard Shoni Schimmel had 16 points for Louisville. Behind her, sophomore guard Antonita Slaughter scored 14 points.
“We are getting better in practice,” Carey said. “We are learning in games. We are paying attention a little bit more in scouts. We are paying attention a little bit more in practice. They are getting a little bit of confidence.
“We still have a long way to go,” he continued. “Make no doubt about it. If we keep working in practice, keep getting better every game, we will win some.”
The Mountaineers return to action on Feb. 12, when they travel to Notre Dame, Ind., to take on No. 2 Notre Dame in a 3:30 tip. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU, with Kayte Christensen and Anne Marie Anderson. Live audio and stats, along with a full recap of Sunday’s action, can be found on MSNsportsNET.com.
The win marks the first time West Virginia has upset a ranked team at the Coliseum since Jan. 29, 2008, when they defeated No. 4 Rutgers, 63-54. At the time, West Virginia was ranked No. 12.
It also marks the second time in three years that West Virginia upset a ranked Louisville team, as it defeated then-No. 5 Louisville, 79-70, on Feb. 7, 2009.
“They came out and followed the game plan very well,” said coach Mike Carey. “They played hard for 40 minutes and I am very proud of them. Louisville has a lot of talent and they are ranked so it is a good win.”
The Mountaineers (17-6, 7-3 BIG EAST) began to pull ahead at the 7:35 mark in the first half, using strong defense to stifle the Cardinals’ shooting, allowing for a 17-5 scoring run. West Virginia would take a 38-24 lead into the locker room, which they quickly built to a 45-24 lead within the first three minutes of the second half.
Louisville did not come any closer than 12 points for the remainder of the game.
Junior Asya Bussie earned her sixth career double-double in the win, as she scored 18 points and pulled down 11 rebounds for the Mountaineers. She was followed by freshman Linda Stepney, with a career-best 14 points, redshirt sophomore Christal Caldwell who scored 12 points, and redshirt junior Ayana Dunning with 11 points.
“When Asya and Yaya are playing and they are focused, they are as good of a tandem as anybody in the country,” Carey said. “I don’t care who it is high or low. Yaya can shoot the ball. Yaya can pass. Asya can score and Asya did an excellent job of sealing up against the zone and man. She was active today and that is something that we want to continue to see out of Asya. Our guards for the most part did a good job of getting her the ball.”
The Mountaineers converted 42.1 percent (24-of-57) from the field, 23.5 percent (4-of-17) from beyond the arc and 73.7 percent (14-of-19) from the line.
The Cardinals (17-6, 6-4 BIG EAST) shot better from 3-point range than the Mountaineers did, going 35.0 percent (7-of-20) from beyond the arc.
However, they shot slightly less from the field at 40.0 percent (20-of-50), and less from the charity stripe at 60.0 percent (3-of-5).
Defensively, West Virginia held Louisville to its lowest point total this season. Previously, Louisville’s lowest point total was 54 points, against then-No.12/10 Kentucky.
The Mountaineers also continued their streak of out-rebounding all but one league opponent by dominating on the boards against Louisville. The Mountaineers pulled down 39 rebounds to Louisville’s 27.
Behind Bussie, Caldwell had eight rebounds and sophomore Jess Harlee had five.
“Even though we had 17 turnovers, for the most part, we took care of the ball and didn’t start fast breaks for them,” Carey said. “That was something we were worried about was getting a steal or turnover out front and then giving them lay-ups. We did a good job there.”
Sophomore guard Shoni Schimmel had 16 points for Louisville. Behind her, sophomore guard Antonita Slaughter scored 14 points.
“We are getting better in practice,” Carey said. “We are learning in games. We are paying attention a little bit more in scouts. We are paying attention a little bit more in practice. They are getting a little bit of confidence.
“We still have a long way to go,” he continued. “Make no doubt about it. If we keep working in practice, keep getting better every game, we will win some.”
The Mountaineers return to action on Feb. 12, when they travel to Notre Dame, Ind., to take on No. 2 Notre Dame in a 3:30 tip. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU, with Kayte Christensen and Anne Marie Anderson. Live audio and stats, along with a full recap of Sunday’s action, can be found on MSNsportsNET.com.
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