Virginia Tech 64, Providence 34
by Will Stewart, TechSideline.com, 1/4/04
Blacksburg, VA -- Virginia Tech's 15th-ranked women's basketball team blasted hopelessly overmatched Providence, jumping to a big early lead and then clearing the bench for most of the game in a lopsided win. Freshman Kirby Copeland led scored 12 points to lead Tech, as nine Hokie players played 18 minutes or more.
Providence entered the game with a 4-7 mark and losses to Holy Cross, Dartmouth, and Harvard, and they never had a chance in this one. The Hokies jumped out to a 17-3 lead six minutes into the game, and VT coach Bonnie Henrickson sent in the substitutes to get them some work, leading to a strange box score and two unusual leading scorers: Copeland and backup post player Megan Finnerty (11 points). Copeland and Finnerty were the only Hokies to score in double figures, as no Tech starter played more than 20 minutes.
The Hokies held Providence to 28% shooting (13-of-46), forced 21 turnovers, and outrebounded the Friars 38-25. Providence's top scorers were Kristen Quinn and Janell Fabor, both with just six points.
The Hokies were led in rebounding by 6-6 Nare Diawara, who collected 9 boards in just 12 minutes of playing time, and scored her first collegiate points with just one second to go when she hit a layup. Carrie Mason had a team-high 4 assists and hit three of five three-point shots on her way to 9 points.
VT, now 12-0 on the season, embarks on a tough road trip, playing at 7-4 Rutgers on Wednesday at 7:30, and at 7-5 Notre Dame at noon on Saturday. The Notre Dame game will be televised as part of the Big East TV package (check local listings).
================================================================================
Virginia Tech 64, Providence 34
1/4/04, Blacksburg, VA
1st 2nd Tot
-----------------------------------
PROVIDENCE 16 18 - 34
VIRGINIA TECH 31 33 - 64
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PROVIDENCE (4-8, 0-1)
fg ft rb
min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
G Nwafili 26 2-10 1-5 2-6 0 2 5
B Freeburg 14 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 3 0
J Gilmore 20 0-1 0-0 0-2 0 3 0
J Furstenburg 26 1-5 2-2 0-2 0 1 5
K Quinn 27 2-5 1-2 1-2 0 1 6
K Baugh 16 1-2 1-2 1-2 3 0 3
J Fabor 32 3-10 0-0 1-1 1 1 6
S Snyder 11 2-4 0-0 0-1 0 0 4
K Keefe 4 0-1 0-0 0-2 0 1 0
Q Copeland 24 2-6 1-2 0-7 1 4 5
_____________________________________________________
TOTALS 200 13-46 6-13 5-25 5 16 34
_____________________________________________________
Percentages: FG-.283, FT-.462. 3-Point Goals:
2-9, .222 (B Freeburg 0-1, J Furstenburg 1-2,
K Quinn 1-2, K Baugh 0-1, J Fabor 0-2, S
Snyder 0-1). Team Rebounds: 4. Blocked Shots:
1 (J Gilmore). Turnovers: 21 (J Gilmore 5, J
Furstenburg 5, J Fabor 3, K Quinn 2, G
Nwafili 2, K Baugh 2, K Keefe, Q Copeland).
Steals: 7 (K Quinn 2, B Freeburg 2, K Baugh,
J Gilmore, Q Copeland).
VIRGINIA TECH (12-0, 1-0)
fg ft rb
min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
K Gardin 20 2-5 0-0 1-1 3 3 5
E Gibson 18 2-4 0-0 1-5 1 2 4
I Kublina 20 3-7 0-0 1-4 1 1 6
D Chriss 20 1-4 3-4 1-3 1 2 5
C Mason 19 3-8 0-0 0-1 4 0 9
K Copeland 18 4-9 4-4 0-3 2 3 12
F Recchia 21 0-3 0-0 0-2 2 0 0
N Diawara 12 1-5 0-2 6-9 0 1 2
B Anderson 22 3-6 2-4 0-4 3 0 8
D Simmons 9 1-6 0-1 3-5 0 1 2
M Finnerty 21 5-7 1-1 1-1 0 0 11
_____________________________________________________
TOTALS 200 25-64 10-16 14-38 17 13 64
_____________________________________________________
Percentages: FG-.391, FT-.625. 3-Point Goals:
4-10, .400 (K Gardin 1-1, I Kublina 0-1, C
Mason 3-5, F Recchia 0-3). Team Rebounds: 5.
Blocked Shots: 3 (M Finnerty, N Diawara, I
Kublina). Turnovers: 14 (K Copeland 3, N
Diawara 2, D Chriss 2, B Anderson 2, C Mason
2, M Finnerty, F Recchia, E Gibson). Steals:
10 (K Copeland 5, K Gardin 2, B Anderson, I
Kublina, C Mason).
Technical fouls: None. A: 2,432. Officials: Deb
Allen, Ken Drayton, Mark Zentz