West Virginia Earns Key Win
The win is important for several reasons, one of which being that the next game the Mountaineers (22-8, 8-8 BE) will play in occurs during the first round of the Big East Tournament, which opens competition on Friday. Momentum and confidence from this win should carry over to their Friday evening game. Secondly, the team remains on the bubble for making the NCAA Tournament. Tonight’s win along with a few more wins this weekend in post-season Big East play could go a long way towards positive results during the selection process. Thirdly, five seniors were playing in their final game at the Coliseum. Madina Ali, Korinne Campbell, Vanessa House, Sarah Miles and Liz Repella were able to finish their regular-season careers with a win. “We still need to go to the Big East and win one or two,” said coach Carey. “I’m not putting all our eggs in the Big East Tournament. We kind of hurt ourselves with our seeding now because our seeding won’t be as great as we want it to be, but we need to focus on the Big East Tournament and the NCAA, if we get in. We have to make some noise and start playing a little better.” But first things first, and that is celebrating a much-needed Mountaineer win during the final game of the regular season. West Virginia played like it had during the beginning of the season, using aggressive and physical play on both sides of the ball to control St. John’s in every category. The Mountaineers shot 41 percent (25-of-61) from the field, and 37.5 percent (3-of-8) from beyond the arc. In addition, they shot 66.7 percent (16-of-24) from the free throw line. In comparison, the Red Storm (20-9, 9-7 BE) only shot 38.8 percent (19-of-49) from the field, a mere 12.5 percent (1-of-8) from 3-point range, and 58.8 percent (10-of-17) from the charity stripe. “I think they are really a good team,” said St. John’s coach Kim Barnes Arico. “They forced us into a lot of turnovers and their defensive pressure took us out of our game. I’ve seen them on film, not play as well as they did tonight, but I think tonight they were fighting for their lives and you could really tell by the intensity and the pressure that they brought to the game.” It wasn’t just shooting that proved an advantage for the Mountaineers, however. They also picked up 46 rebounds to St. John’s 30, 12 assists to St. John’s three, and ten blocks to St. John’s eight. Additionally, the Mountaineers scored 21 points off of Red Storm turnovers, and put up 34 points in the paint. “We out-rebounded them by 16 and I thought that was important,” Carey said. “In the second half we hit our foul shots, started getting up the lane a little bit and created some turnovers. They had 20 turnovers and three assists and I thought that was big.” Three West Virginia players scored in double figures against St. John’s, including Repella, Miles and Campbell. Repella was one rebound shy of a double-double, posting 22 points and grabbing nine rebounds in 40 minutes of play. She was followed by Miles, who scored 16 points and handed out five assists, also during 40 minutes of play. Campbell rounded out the top three, with 13 points and seven boards, marking her second consecutive game in double figures. Being senior night, it was only fitting that three seniors were the top scorers. “I wanted these seniors to go out as winners here on the home floor,” Carey said. “That was just as important for me as playing for our life. They deserve it. They’ve done a lot of great things on and off the floor. I’m proud of them and I would’ve told them after the game I’m proud of them, win or lose. It’s a great group and I can hope to have another group like this.” “It’s been four years here and you never think it’s going to be you when you’re a freshman and the seniors are playing their last game,” Repella added. “I loved playing here, I loved playing for the university, I loved playing for coach Carey and I made family here. These are my sisters. What’s most important are the relationships I have had—I’ve met some special people.” Sophomore guard Shenneika Smith paced St. John’s in scoring, with ten points on the night. The Mountaineers return to action during the first round of the Big East Tournament at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn. on Friday evening at 6 p.m. |
 Big 12 Championship Report |
 Big 12 Championship Report 4 |
 WVU Baseball Experience in Moore, Okla. |
 Big 12 Championship Report 3 |
 Mountaineers Speak on CNN |
 Big 12 Championship Report 2 |
