Owens scores 20 as No. 15 West Virginia beats St. Bonaventure 64-37

12/1/2007 4:19 PM

BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) -LaQuita Owens scored 20 points to lead No. 15 West Virginia to a 64-37 victory over St. Bonaventure on Saturday in the FAU Holiday Classic.

Owens had 14 points by halftime for West Virginia (6-1), finishing 8-of-11 from the field and hitting 4-of-5 from beyond the 3-point arc.

Senior forward Chakhia Cole added 10 points and nine rebounds for the Mountaineers. Meg Bulger had nine points and Olayinka Sanni finished with eight.

Dana Mitchell had a game-high 22 points for the Bonnies (5-2), who trailed 35-16 by halftime and allowed the Mountaineers to shoot 50.9 percent (28-of-55) from the field for the game.

The Mountaineers wore down St. Bonaventure with their strong inside presence and aggressive play under the boards, holding it scoreless for a long stretch late in the first half. A 17-2 run into the break put the game out of reach.

West Virginia, which overcame 16 turnovers by out-rebounding the Bonnies 38-28, will play Columbia on Sunday in the Holiday Classic.