Dec. 1, 2007

Final Stats

BOCA RATON, Fla. - Nationally ranked West Virginia extended a 19-point halftime lead into a 64-37 victory over the St. Bonaventure women's basketball team in the opening game of the Florida Atlantic Holiday Classic on Saturday afternoon in Boca Raton, Fla.

With the loss, the Bonnies dropped their second straight contest of the season to fall to 5-2, while the Mountaineers improved to 6-1 with their only defeat coming to top ranked Tennessee.

In defeat, sophomore Dana Mitchell poured in her third 20-plus point performance of the season with a game-high 22 points. The Fairless Hills, Pa. native tallied 15 points in the second half and was the only member of the Brown and White to reach the double digit plateau. Senior LaQuita Owens paced the Mountaineer offensive attack with a team-high 20 points.

Although the Brown and White defense held the high-scoring West Virginia attack to 64 points, the Bonnies put forth their lowest scoring output since their 39-point effort in a loss at Charlotte on February 10, 2006. St. Bonaventure shot a 2007-08 low 29.5 percent from the floor, while the Blue and Gold became the second team this season to connect above 50 percent against the Brown and White at a 50.9 percent clip.

Already trailing by 19 points at the break, the Brown and White surrendered a 17-5 spurt beginning with a turnaround jumper from senior Chakhia Cole with 12:34 showing on the scoreboard. Six different Mountaineers joined in on the scoring run that ballooned the West Virginia lead to a game-high 33 points at 62-29 with 4:30 left in the contest.

The Bonnies finished their first game in Florida with eight of the game's final ten points, including six in a row from Mitchell as well as two free throws from senior Megan Ellis.

West Virginia used a 20-4 run to close the first half and enter the locker room with a 35-16 advantage. The Mountaineers, who shot a red-hot 64 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes, held the Bonnies to a first half season-low of 16 points and limited the Brown and White to four first-half field goals to begin the contest.

Following freshman Cara Gustafson's three-pointer from the right corner and a single free throw from Mitchell, the Mountaineers accumulated 20 of the contest's next 24 points after adding onto their 15-11 edge in which they held with 11:27 before the break. An acrobatic slash and lay-in from Mitchell were the Brown and White's only points in the final ten minutes of action before Ellis converted two free throws in the final 25 second of the opening period.

Senior classmates LaQuita Owens and Meg Bulger accumulated 10 and nine points, respectively, to begin the game, including a combined three triples from the veteran tandem.

Following the opening tip, West Virginia raced out to seven straight points in the first 1:25 minutes of the contest as Owens registered five tallies for the Mountaineers. The Bonnies lit up the scoreboard after three-plus scoreless minutes of action when junior Katelyn Murray drained a long jumper from the right baseline. Mitchell and Johnson connected on three freebies from the charity stripe to extend the Brown and White spurt to five points in a row and cut their deficit to 9-5 with 14:13 left in the opening half.

The Brown and White will return to FAU Arena on Sunday afternoon for a 3:00 p.m. tip-off against host Florida Atlantic in the final game of the Holiday Classic.