The West Virginia Mountaineers used a 39-point second half to
cap a 66-49 victory over the Brown Bears in the Dead River Company
Classic Championship game on Saturday at Alfond Arena in Orono, Maine.
Led by Liz Repella with 15 points, seven rebounds, and six
assists, the Mountaineers improved to 5-1 on the season and have now won four
in a row. Takisha Granberry added a double-double with 11 points and
11 rebounds, while freshman center Natalie Burton chipped in a career-high 13 points to the winning effort.
WVU scored the first basket on a Burton layup less than a
minute into the game and looked as if they would cruise to the
tournament's championship after starting the game on an 11-4 run. But
Brown battled back, tying the game up at 23 with a minute left in the
first half. The Mountaineers scored the final four points of the half
and took a shaky four point advantage into the locker room.
After the sluggish start, the Mountaineers used a 13-5 run to
open the second half and stretch the lead to 40-28. WVU then cruised
as junior Alex Sanabria hit two three pointers and Repella scored
seven of her 15 points in the second frame.
WVU relied heavily on its defense as the Mountaineers forced
21 Brown turnovers. The Mountaineers shot 52 percent from the field
and once again won the battle of the boards holding a 30-24 advantage
on the glass. WVU held the Bears to a 42 percent shooting mark.
West Virginia now comes home to host Mercyhurst on Wednesday,
Dec. 3rd, at 7 p.m.