UC a Step Closer to Lofty Goals
No. 2 Golden Eagles Rout Bluefield State in Opener
March 1, 2005
By Mike Whiteford
Staff writer, The Charleston Gazette
The stakes are very much on the rise for the University of Charleston women’s team.
As recently as two years ago, the Golden Eagles set a goal of simply advancing past the opening on-campus round of the West Virginia Conference tournament and reaching the quarterfinals at the Charleston Civic Center.
Now, as UC continues to ratchet up its talent level, anything short of national success is not quite good enough.
The Golden Eagles took another step in that direction in Monday night’s opening round of the WVC basketball tournament, limiting Bluefield State to two baskets in the game’s first 13 minutes and breezing to a 78-36 victory at Eddie King Gym. An enthusiastic crowd of 150 attended.
The victory advances the No. 2-seeded Golden Eagles (25-3) to a quarterfinal game against West Virginia State at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Civic Center. UC defeated State twice during the regular season — by 12 and 25 points. Photo by M.K. McFarland courtesy of
The Charleston Gazette.
As the No. 1-ranked team in the NCAA Division II East Region, UC looks like a lock to qualify for the eight-team East Region tournament, but an even more ambitious goal is within reach.
If the Golden Eagles win this week’s WVC tourney, said coach Sherry Winn, they virtually will assure themselves of being the host school for the regional. "In order to do that,’’ she said, "we have to win out.’’
In anticipation of the demanding postseason, Winn formulated the team’s schedule accordingly. The Golden Eagles played their final regular-season game on Feb. 21, giving them a full week to rest for the WVC tournament grind, which potentially will call for four games in six days.
"We just had a week of rest and we’re ready to go,’’ said UC’s Laura Kinsler, a junior from Parkersburg. "We’re ready to play three hard games.’’
"I think we’re probably the most rested team in the conference right now,’’ said Winn. "It’s a really long season. We had tough preseason practices right away. At this point in the season, their legs are tired, their minds are tired. A little break is a good thing.’’
The Golden Eagles achieved another of their goals by earning a national ranking; they entered Monday’s play as the No. 12 team in the USA Today/ESPN poll.
A national ranking is quite an upgrade from Winn’s first season of 2001-02 when the Golden Eagles lost to Concord in the opening on-campus round of the WVC tournament and, thus, did not even reach the Civic Center.
"We’ve gone from a team that thought a winning record was a goal to a team whose goals were to break into the top-20 in the nation, and we’ve achieved that,’’ she said. "We wanted to go undefeated at home; we’ve achieved that. We wanted to win the conference; we didn’t get there, but we were really close. We still want to end up in the Sweet 16 [in the nation]. Our goals have changed tremendously because our talent has changed.’’
In Monday’s victory, the Golden Eagles led 39-14 at halftime and shut out the No. 15 Lady Blues (2-26) for nearly eight minutes to start the second half.
It was the third time this season that Bluefield coach Gary Brown watched the Golden Eagles dismantle his team by 40 or more points. Though the Golden Eagles are just the No. 2 seed this week, he says they’re the favorites.
"I picked them to win it,’’ said Brown. "They lost at Fairmont, but they’re my favorite. They’re well-balanced. They’ve got good size, they’re quick, they’re rested. They have a strong defense.’’
Lisa Lee led UC with 14 points and nine rebounds but played just 22 minutes. Emily Jones came off the bench to score 13 points. Courtney Thomas added 11 and Mandy Ebel, another reserve, contributed 10.
Meagan Repass scored 19 to lead Bluefield, which suffered its 13th straight loss.