GAME PHOTOS

WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – A short-handed West Liberty University women's basketball team used a strong defensive effort to smother Wheeling Jesuit, 58-44, Thursday afternoon at the ASRC.

Playing without ailing Kayla Ayers – the West Virginia Conference's leading 3-point shooter – the Hilltoppers (7-4, 4-1) never trailed in posting their 11th consecutive win against their Ohio County rivals.

West Liberty held the Cardinals (2-8, 0-7) to just 26 percent shooting from the floor and foiled any hopes of a WJU rally by holding the visitors to just one basket over the final five minutes.

“I was very pleased with our execution and clock management down the stretch,” Hilltopper head coach Lynn Ullom said. “We were able to run some clock and still get good looks off our sets. Defensively, we really stepped up and made things tough for them.”

Hillary Southworth led all scorers for West Liberty with 16 points while Jenn Cessna backed her with 12 points. Emily Blevins added 8 points and cleared a game-high 13 rebounds.

Cessna came up big in Ayers' absence, draining a trio of 3-point field goals in the first half to lead a Hilltopper squad that went 7-for-13 from behind the arc in the first 20 minutes.

The taller Cardinals pulled down 14 offensive rebounds in the first half alone to stay within range but Cessna's third bonus bomb of the period – a banked-in 3-pointer at the buzzer – sent the hosts into the locker room with a 29-21 lead.

“Kayla's been our zone-buster all year so we were a little concerned about going against Wheeling's zone today without her,” Ullom said. “Jenn's 3-pointers really gave us a lift.”

The Cardinals closed the gap to 31-25 in the early part of the second half but West Liberty answered with a 7-0 run – keyed by a Chelsea Bradley 3-pointer – for a 38-25 advantage and Wheeling Jesuit never threatened again.

“I think the key to the game was limiting their offensive rebounds in the second half,” Ullom said after noting that WJU had only 3 offensive boards after intermission. “We addressed that at halftime and the girls did a much better job of blocking out and rebounding in the second half.”

Emily Robinson led the visitors with 12 points while Erica Schultz finished with 11 points and 9 rebounds.

The Hilltoppers hit the road on Saturday for a 2 p.m. game at Glenville State.