Women's Basketball | 11/15/2014 8:10:00 PM
Box Score CALIFORNIA, Pa. – A cold shooting stretch in the second half spelled defeat for the No. 18-ranked West Liberty University women's basketball team Saturday night as host California (Pa.) pulled away to a 78-68 win in the MEC-PSAC Challenge at the Convocation Center.
Coach
Lynn Ullom's Hilltoppers (1-1) battled the host Vulcans (2-0) on virtually even terms through a tightly-played first half which saw 5 ties and 6 lead changes before California took a 41-39 lead into the locker room.
The second half was a different story for West Liberty as the Hilltoppers, who were 16-of-30 (53 percent) from the floor in the first 20 minutes, sagged to 27 percent shooting (10-of-36) in the second half.
The Vulcans took advantage of the Black and Gold's shooting woes, building a double-digit lead midway through the half, and holding off a belated Hilltopper surge.
West Liberty cut the deficit to 71-66 on a
Kailee Howe drive with
1:52 to play but couldn't make another shot down the stretch as California stretched out the final margin at the charity stripe.
Xavier transfer Emma Mahady paced the Vulcans with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Miki Glenn and Irina Kukolj backed her with 18 and 17 points, respectively.
The Hilltoppers make their MEC debut against the University of Charleston on Nov. 22 in a 2 p.m. game at the ASRC.
