Women's Basketball | 2/6/2016 6:40:00 PM
Box Score SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. – Kiki Simpson scored 18 points and grabbed a Mountain East Conference regular-season record 25 rebounds Saturday afternoon to lead the No. 20-ranked West Liberty University women to a 95-69 rout of Shepherd at the Butcher Center.
Coach Lynn Ullom's Hilltoppers (19-3, 14-2) trailed 20-16 at the end of a sluggish first quarter but scored 17 of the first 21 points in the second frame to take command. West Liberty took a 40-32 lead into the locker room at the half and when Johnie Olkosky wrapped a pair of 3-pointers around a 12-foot jumper to force a Shepherd (5-17, 4-11) timeout less than 2 minutes into the third quarter, the Black and Gold were on their way. A dominating presence on both ends of the court, Simpson scored 14 of her 18 points after intermission as the visitors steadily pulled away.
Simpson's 25 rebounds broke her own MEC regular-season record of 21 rebounds, set on the same Butcher Center floor two years ago (Jan. 9, 2014) against the Rams.
Simpson set the all-time MEC and NCAA Tournament record last year when she cleared 29 boards in the Hilltoppers' overtime victory against West Chester (Pa.) in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region quarterfinal.
The talented post had plenty of support on Saturday as Olkosky tossed in a game-high 21 points and Liz Flowers added 19 more despite battling foul problems throughout the second half. Jasmin Kiley came off the bench with a season-high 15 points while Kailee Howe finished with 7 points and a game-high 10 assists. Kristen Nunn topped Shepherd with 15 points while Liz Myers had 11 points and 11 rebounds in a losing cause.
The Lady Hilltoppers return home to host Concord on Thursday. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. at the ASRC.
GAME NOTES
x Simpson's 25 rebounds are the second-highest in NCAA Division II this season. Southwestern Oklahoma's Janae Coffee had 27 at Southern Arkansas on Dec. 5
x It was the 48th double-figure rebound game of Simpson's career and her 40th double-double
x West Liberty improved its February record to 123-29 over the past 16 seasons
x The Hilltoppers are now 49-3 over the past four years when holding their opponents under 70 points
