RICHMOND, Ky. – Four players scored in double figures and 11 of the 12 Lady Colonels scratched the scoring column as the Eastern Kentucky women’s basketball team opened its 2007-08 campaign by beating West Virginia Tech, 90-59, Saturday at McBrayer Arena. Senior Crystal Jones led EKU (1-0) in its season opener with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Kierra Wilkins led the Golden Bears (2-6) with 21 points.
The Lady Colonels out-rebounded West Virginia Tech 64-38 and 25 EKU steals contributed to 35 Golden Bear turnovers.
Jones added six assists, four blocks and six steals to go along with her double-double. Fellow senior guards Niki Avery and Ashley Cazee added 15 points and 14 points respectively. Sophomore Shavonne Jones totaled 12 points and seven rebounds.
Newcomers LaTonyah Bentley and LaTanya Stokes came off the bench to help the rebounding effort. Bentley grabbed nine boards in only 12 minutes of play. Stokes had eight rebounds and eight points in 16 minutes of action.
EKU scored first and never trailed. The game was tied just once at 2-2.
Shavonne Jones scored four of Eastern’s first seven points. Back-to-back lay-ups by Lindsey Waters and Cazee gave the Lady Colonels a 7-point advantage, 13-6, with 13:44 to go in the first half. Tech answered with a 9-3 run to draw within one point, 16-15, at the 11:10 mark. Wilkins scored five points during the Golden Bear run.
Eastern Kentucky answered by scoring six of the next eight points to key a 24-8 run to take control of the game and West Virginia Tech never threatened again. Shavonne Jones scored four straight on a lay-up and two free throws to push EKU in front by six. A pair of free throws by Crystal Jones made it a 15-point advantage, 38-23. Jones contributed eight points during the run.
Two more makes from the charity stripe by freshman Cherie White capped the run and had the home team out in front by 17 points, 40-23, with 2:17 remaining before halftime.
The Lady Colonels shot 42.4 percent (14-of-33) from the field in the first half, including 3-of-6 from three-point range.
West Virginia Tech cut the lead to 10 points with a pair of unanswered lay-ups to start the second half, but EKU scored the next nine points, including five by Cazee, to move in front by 19 points, 52-33, with 16:02 left in the game.
Another 9-0 run, with Shavonne Jones contributing four points, extended the Lady Colonel advantage to 26, 68-42, with 10:15 showing on the clock.
A lay-up by Colette Cole with just under four minutes remaining gave Eastern Kentucky its largest lead, 32 points, 84-52.
Eastern shot 35.4 percent in the second half and finished the game having made 31 of 81 shots for 38.3 percent. The Lady Colonels knocked down 23 of 29 free throw attempts for 79.3 percent.
West Virginia Tech shot 35.9 percent (23-of-64) for the game and went 0-for-10 from three-point range. The Golden Bears made just 13 of 24 from the charity stripe for 54.2 percent.
The Lady Colonels will return to action on Friday when they begin play at the Florida Gulf Coast Tournament in Fort Myers, Fla. EKU will face Valparaiso at 5 p.m. Eastern Kentucky will play Central Connecticut State or Florida Gulf Coast University on Saturday.
