Women's Basketball | 11/12/2010 10:06:04 PM

BOX SCORE

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – Jenni Robbins' basket with just 3 seconds remaining lifted West Liberty to a thrilling 59-58 victory against host Elizabeth City State Friday night in a mutual season opener at the CIAA/WVIAC Challenge at the R.L. Vaughan Center.

The Hilltoppers seemed on the verge of putting the game on ice when Laura Malernee's sixth 3-point bomb produced the biggest lead of the game for either team, 57-49, with just 2:44 remaining.

The Vikings bounced back with an 11-0 run as West Liberty struggled against the ECSU defensive pressure. Whitney Gray capped that surge by hitting 1-of-2 free throws with just 12 ticks remaining for a 58-57 Viking lead.

Robbins, the smallest player on the court, burst through a gap in the Elizabeth City State defense and cashed in a short jumper that proved to be the game-winner. Gray missed a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Malernee led all scorers with 18 points on six 3-point field goals. That made her West Liberty's all-time leader with 326 3-pointers, passing Renee Farina (324) and Tara Johnson (321).

Meghan Wiseman had a strong game with 14 points and 7 rebounds before fouling out in the waning minutes while Tori Hansen added 11 points, 8 rebounds and 4 steals.

Hansen passed Hilltopper Hall of Famer Ashlea Bland (1,628) for No. 2 on WLU's career scoring list with 1,629 points.  Melissa Hammond, another Hall of Famer, holds the school record at 2,150.

Stephanie Harper came off the bench to lead ECSU with 15 points and a game-high 10 rebounds in just 16 minutes of playing time. Gray and Kenyatta Gill added a dozen points each in a losing cause.

West Liberty faces a quick turnaround Saturday afternoon as the Hilltoppers face St. Augustine's (N.C.) in a 3 p.m. tipoff. The Falcons blasted Davis & Elkins, 87-56, on Friday afternoon.