UM point guards’ status still up in air West Virginia has dismissed a star player

Injuries to Kim Corbitt and Missy Traversi spelled a premature end to the season in the America East quarterfinals last week for the University of Maine women’s basketball team.

Tonight at 7, with the senior co-captains still dealing with significant physical problems, coach Sharon Versyp’s Black Bears (20-9) will attempt to extend their season in a Women’s National Invitation Tournament first-round game against West Virginia (17-12) at Morgantown, W.Va.

Both players’ status remained in question Thursday. Corbitt, who jammed her left shoulder and has experienced significant pain when trying to lift her arm, is unlikely to be able to contribute against the Mountaineers.

“Those two have been the keys to our point guard [position] for four years, so that’s the tough thing,” Versyp said.

Traversi is trying to overcome a severely sprained right wrist that affects her shooting and ballhandling abilities.

“It was kind of freaky how we both got hurt,” Traversi said. “Fortunately, I know there are people who can step up on this team and they know that [now].”

This time, the Bears had the week to prepare for the possibility of not having the seniors’ services. While their absence would hamper UMaine’s usual effectiveness, the door is open for other players to elevate their level of play in a big-game atmosphere.

“We’ll have to work our offense differently, whether we have our point guards or not, but we had some time to prepare for that,” Versyp said.

West Virginia also is dealing with the loss of a key player, which could help the Bears compensate for their losses.

Starting senior shooting guard Sherell Sowho, who is averaging 12.6 points and 3.0 rebounds in 37 minutes per game and shoots 38 percent from 3-point range, has been suspended from the Mountaineer squad indefinitely for a violation of team rules.

Sowho is second on the team in steals (53), blocked shots (31), and 3-pointers (57).

“West Virginia’s great, but we match up great in a lot of areas with them,” Traversi said.

Traversi, who was on the UMaine team that lost to Creighton in the WNIT two years ago, knows that the experience is the most important aspect of playing WVU.

“I think it’s going to be good for the young ones to realize what postseason play is all about and just to really get excited for another part of the season,” Traversi said.