Nov. 18, 2005
Contact: Carlos Valdez III. (210) 458-4930
Terrie Davis’ 17 points helps Women's Basketball to 57-54 upset of West Virginia
ORLANDO, Fla. – The UTSA women’s basketball team overcame a 13-point deficit with 15:35 left in the game to upend Big East Conference member West Virginia, 57-54, at the Central Florida Tournament.
Sophomore guard Terrie Davis had a team-high 17 points in 37 minutes of action. Joining Davis in double-digits scoring were senior forwards Lacy Mingee and Katie Sandefur with 12 and 11 points respectively. Mingee collected six rebounds to lead UTSA. The Mountaineers were led by senior center Yelena Leuchanka with 18 points and 13 rebounds.
"This was a big win for our team," said UTSA coach Rae Rippetoe-Blair. "Terrie (Davis) was huge for us in the second half. She played excellent and made some big shots for us in the end. Also, Farren Fox's two three-pointers were a great lift for us and really helped us seal the game.
The Roadrunners begin the 2005-06 season at 1-0, while the Mountaineers drop to 0-1.
With Sandefur scoring five points, UTSA opened the first half with a 5-2 lead. West Virginia regained the lead 8-7 on a free throw made by sophomore forward Chankhia Cole with 15:42 left in the first half.
The Mountaineers went on a 15-2 run to take a 26-13 lead with 4:32 left in the half. The Runners would cut West Virginia’s lead to 11 points (32-21) to end the first half.
Mingee opened the second half with six straight points to trim the lead 34-27 with 18:28 left in game.
The Mountaineers upped its lead to 13 points with 15:35 left in the frame on a lay-up by Lecuchanka.
UTSA mounted its comeback from 13 down to tie the game at 43-43 on a 16-3 run with 7:34 to play. Davis scored nine points during the run, while Mingee and Vivian Ewalefo each added two points. West Virginia regained the lead at 49-47 with 2:02, when LaQuita Owens drained a three-point basket from top of the key.
The Runners closed out the game on a 10-5 run and took a 57-54 lead with less than a minute left in game. Freshman guard Farren Fox nailed two three-pointers down the stretch to help give UTSA the win.
UTSA returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 19 against Florida A&M in the final round of the Central Florida Tournament, with tip-off scheduled for 3 p.m. (CST).
"Tomorrow's game against Florida A&M should be good," Blair said. "FAMU likes to run the ball every chance they get and that is something I will let my team know about that. We have to play smart basketball and not turn the ball over and give FAMU the chance to run."