WBB: BIG START, MOVING ON

LADY LIONS CRUISE PAST WHEELING JESUIT INTO WVIAC QUARTERFINALS

Jolysa Brown Bank Shot
Upsets happen in tournament basketball, and Concord women's head coach Kenny Osborne knew exactly what his favored Lady Lions needed to do in their meeting with Wheeling Jesuit Monday night.

“We've got to start strong,” Osborne said before his Lady Lions hosted the 5-21 Cardinals in the first round of the WVIAC Tournament at the Carter Center.  “If you let an underdog hang around too long, that's when upsets happen.  If we start strong like that big (19-2) run early like we did Saturday against Bluefield State, we'll be in good shape.  ”

The 2nd-seeded Lady Lions started stronger than Osborne could have hoped.  Concord made its first seven shots, forced the 15th-seeded Cardinals to miss their first seven, bolted out to a 19-0 lead and cruised to an 85-57 victory.
The win set a record for most wins in a season (22), and advanced CU to the conference quarterfinals on Wednesday night against the University of Charleston at the Charleston Civic Center Coliseum. 
(The Golden Eagles upset 7th-seeded Pitt-Johnstown 56-51.)

A three-pointer by Camisha Alexander a mere 12 seconds after tipoff ignited the Concord outburst.  Amanda Smith hit a jumper, Jolysa Brown did the same, and Alexander drained another three-pointer to put CU ahead 10-0 just 2:05 into the game.

Camisha Alexander Jumper
Andrea Bertrand's running shot made the score 12-0.  Two free throws from Alexander made it 14-0.  A three-point play from Bertrand and another Brown jumper pushed the lead to 19-0 with 15:51 still to play before halftime.

WJU got on the board on Emily Robinson's jumper 5:16 after tipoff.  But Concord kept rolling, taking a 39-8 lead with 7:52 to go and a 52-18 advantage into halftime.

Concord shot .533 (18-33) from the field in the 1st half, including 7-10 from three-point range – buoyed by Alexander's 4-6 performance.  The Lady Lions limited the Cardinals to .241 (7-29) – 0-6 from the arc – in the first 20 minutes.

WJU never gave up, but Concord kept its lead at 30 points or better for all but 3:55 of the 2nd half.

CU finished at .492 (31-63) from the floor and a healthy .938 (15-16) from the free throw line.  The Lady Lions had 22 assists on their 31 made shots, offset by only four turnovers.  Concord averages just 10.7 turnovers per game – the best mark in the nation.
Jolysa Brown Jumper

Brown led the Lady Lions with 22 points and 10 rebounds.  It was her 19th double-double of the season (3rd-best in the nation) and the 46th of her career.  She also added six blocked shots and four assists without a turnover.

Alexander added 18 points.  Bertrand was 8-10 from the floor in scoring 18 points of her own, to go with seven rebounds.

Like Saturday's win over Bluefield State, all 14 Lady Lions played and nine scored.

Robinson topped Wheeling Jesuit (5-22) with 21 points, 14 in the 2nd half.

BOXSCORE / PLAY-BY-PLAY
(statistics provided by CU SID GA Becky Brouse)

Up next for Concord (22-5) is its WVIAC Quarterfinal matchup against Charleston Wednesday night.  Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 pm. 

Concord claimed two victories against UC this season – 75-63 at Eddie King Gymnasium on December 17, and 70-58 on February 22 at the Carter Center.

Wednesday's game will be broadcast locally on ESPN Radio 102.3 The Ticket (WMTD Hinton/Princeton/Beckley) as part of the WVIAC Tournament Network.  A link to the network's webcast can be found on the WVIAC homepage. 

More tournament information is available via the “WVIAC 'Tournament Central' link in the navigation bar near the top of the women's basketball homepage here on www.cumountainlions.com.












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