Collegiate Times

For the Virginia Tech women's basketball team, it appeared that their chances of advancing past the second round of the WNIT were still in doubt after the initial twenty minutes of play. However, an early second half outburst on offense and a strong showing on defense was enough to beat the Western Carolina Lady Catamounts, 74-64, Saturday at Cassell Coliseum.

The Hokies, who earned a first-round bye in the tournament, improved their record to 19-14. They now advance to the third round of the WNIT and will host the Auburn Tigers on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Following a 15-day layoff from its last ACC Tournament game against the University of North Carolina, Tech committed 12 turnovers in a fast-paced first half. However, a 63 percent shooting effort managed to put the Hokies up 37-35 at the intermission.

After the second half began with the Catamounts tied the score at 37, Tech went on a 19-4 run that gave them some much-needed breathing room.

"I was pleased that after the half, we played much better defense and managed to get a double-digit lead," said head coach Beth Dunkenberger.

The Hokies defense stifled Western Carolina, as the Catamounts only managed to shoot 25 percent from the field in the second half.

"Coach (Dunkenberger) got on us at halftime about our defense," said sophomore guard Laura Haskins. "We really improved on it, but we weren't showing it in the first half."

Despite 26 total turnovers, Tech would never let the lead get below eight. They forced Western Carolina into 16 turnovers of their own.

With one minute and 25 seconds remaining, a Hokie fast-break broke through a Catamount full-court press and resulted in a layup by senior center Nare Diawara that would put Tech up by 10. It would also prove to be the dagger that would all but end Western Carolina's hopes of advancing in the tournament.

Leading the offensive charge for the Hokies was sophomore guard Brittany Cook. She made eight of her ten shots from the field and finished the game with a game-high 20 points.

Diawara registered a double-double as she tallied 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.

Wearing a facemask to protect her broken nose, Haskins scored a career-best 12 points.

"Laura did a nice job of moving without the ball and stepping up and hitting open shots, and that's something she's always been able to do," Dunkenberger said.

Haskins also managed to have seven rebounds making this the 12thtime this season that she has had six or more rebounds in a game.

Dunkenberger certainly has ties to Western Carolina. In her first stint as head coach, she guided the Catamounts to a 65-50 record in four seasons before heading to Tech in 2004. Dunkenberger recruited five players currently on the Western Carolina roster.

"I'm very happy for them," she said. "We recruited them to win championships, and that's what they've done."

This year marks Tech's tenth consecutive postseason appearance, which includes both WNIT and NCAA Tournament competition.