Women's Basketball | 11/11/2017 6:16:00 PM

Box Score

    SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – The West Liberty University women's basketball team threw a scare into No. 10 California (Pa.) Saturday but couldn't get over the hump as the Vulcans rallied to a 68-61 victory in the MEC/PSAC Crossover at Murphy Gym on the campus of Notre Dame College.
    The Lady Hilltoppers certainly made a positive impression in Kyle Cooper's head coaching debut as the Black and Gold battled its way back from an early 13-point deficit to keep the decision in doubt until the final seconds.
    Ball security was a problem for West Liberty in the early going as California's high-pressure run and jump defense forced numerous turnovers and helped the nationally-ranked Vulcans build their biggest lead of the game, 20-7, at 2:13 of the opening quarter.
    Sparked by a Brandi Beader 3-pointer, WLU closed out the frame on a 7-0 run to get back in the game and stayed within range throughout the second quarter to trail just 29-25 at intermission.
    Cooper's Hilltoppers continued to chip away at the deficit when play resumed, forcing several ties in the early minutes of the third quarter before another Beader bonus bomb put West Liberty up, 39-38, as the clock ticked past the 4-minute mark.
    That seemed to serve as a wake-up call for California as the Vulcans reeled off 14 unanswered points to take a 52-39 lead in the first minute of the fourth quarter but WLU still refused to fold.
    With junior pivot Marissa Brown working the paint and freshman guard Audrey Tingle dropping a pair of 3-pointers, West Liberty answered with a surge of its own.
    Jackie Kitts fed Brown for a layup to cap the run, trimming the margin to 54-50 with 6:05 still to play. That was as close as the Hilltoppers would get as the teams traded baskets the rest of the way.
    Brown paced the Hilltoppers with 24 points while Beader and Tingle finished with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Johnie Olkosky grabbed 11 rebounds in a losing cause.
    Shatara Parsons took game scoring honors for the Vulcans with 28 points while Mia Cushon weighed in with 12 points and 15 rebounds. D.J. Hahn also hit double figures for the Vulcans with 11 points.
    West Liberty closes out the MEC/PSAC Crossover on Sunday with a 2 p.m. game against Mercyhurst.