Nov. 28, 2009

Final Stats

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - The Navy women's basketball team scored on its first eight possessions of the game on its way to posting a 69-33 victory over Western Illinois, Saturday afternoon at the UTSA Convocation Center in San Antonio, Texas.

The Mids (6-2) connected on seven of their first eight shots from the floor and converted a pair of free throws over their first eight possessions of the afternoon. Scoring seven of those points was Cassie Consedine (Jr., Bartlesville, Okla.). Conversely, Western Illinois (2-4) began the game missing seven of its first nine attempts from the floor - without grabbing an offensive rebound - and turned the ball over twice over its first 11 possessions of the contest.

"I am so happy with the start we had today," said Navy head coach Stefanie Pemper. "We came out with great focus, intensity and confidence. With playing at 7 p.m. last night and then again at 2 p.m. today, we were a little unsure of how we would respond today. I think we left a lot out there last night, so I am very happy with the energy we brought today."

After its great start Navy kept expanding its lead during the first half and, thanks to a Kristin Bowen (Jr., Monroeville, N.J.) baseline three-point field goal at the buzzer, went into halftime holding a 40-16 lead.

The Mids connected on 69.6 percent of their shots from the floor (16-of-23) in the first half, which included a 5-of-7 effort from beyond the three-point line. The Leathernecks in turn were 7-of-26 from the field in the first half (26.9%) and missed all but one of their six three-point attempts.

The 40 points scored by Navy was the most by the Mids in the first half under Pemper, while the 16 points scored by the Leathernecks was the fewest allowed by Navy in an opening half during the Pemper era.

Navy didn't rest on its lead at the start of the second half; the Mids scored seven of the first nine points of the second half to expand its lead to 47-18 with 13 minutes left to play in the game. Navy would eventually hold its largest lead of the game at 65-30 with just under three minutes remaining in the contest.

Even Navy's shooting cooling off from the field in the second half (38.5%), the Mids still connected on 53.1 percent of their attempts from the floor in the game. But while the Mids cooled off so too did the Leathernecks. Western Illinois shot just 20 percent from the field in the second half to end the game with an overall field goal percentage of 23.2 percent. The Mids also held a 43-24 advantage over Western Illinois on the glass in the game.

The 34 points scored by Western Illinois is the fewest by a Navy opponent since St. Francis (N.Y.) scored 33 against the Mids 13 seasons ago.

"We talked before the game about the keys for us being scrappiness, getting loose balls, defensive rebounding and big shots," said Pemper. "I think we accomplished all of that.

"It was nice to see us maintain our focus, for the most part, during the second half. We had good shot selection and that led us to having a very good shooting percentage."

Six different Mids scored at least seven points in the game, with Consedine tallying a game-high 15. Scoring eight points for Navy were K.C. Gordon (Sr., Vienna, Va.), Angela Myers (Jr., San Antonio, Texas) and Kelly Altschul (Sr., Highland Village, Texas).

Consedine also hauled in 10 boards in the game to record her second double-double in as many nights at the UTSA Thanksgiving Classic. For her efforts she was named to the all-tournament team.

"I think Cassie is really maturing as a leader on the team," said Pemper. "She has done a better job of getting open and we have done a better job of getting her the ball. Her rebounding was very important this weekend. She also does a great job of altering shots. She is such a versatile player and we are trying to capitalize on that versatility."

Navy will conclude a stretch of four consecutive games on the road Wednesday night when the Mids play at UMBC.