Women's Basketball | 11/14/2017 7:22:00 PM

Box Score

    PEPPER PIKE, Ohio – The West Liberty University women's basketball team dropped a 105-85 non-conference decision to Ursuline here at the Seidman Gymnasium Tuesday night.
    Coach Kyle Cooper's Hilltoppers (1-2) overcame an early double-digit deficit to take a 43-39 halftime lead but the Arrows (1-2) exploded for 40 points in the third quarter and West Liberty couldn't battle all the way back.
    The Black and Gold hung tough early only to see Ursuline's 1-2 punch of Laney Lewis and Camille Gist lead the way as the Arrows opened up a 29-18 lead in the early minutes of the second quarter.
    West Liberty began to find the range from behind the 3-point arc and combined that with a series of defensive stops to get back in the game.
    Back-to-back 3-pointers from McKenna Shives and Jaclyn Kitts capped a 21-6 burst that put the Hilltoppers up, 39-35, with less than 2 minutes to play in the half.
    Another Shives 3-pointer gave WLU its largest lead of the night, 46-41, early in the third quarter but Camryn Hill scored 9 straight points to give Ursuline a 50-46 advantage and the Arrows were on their way. Hill closed out the frame with back-to-back 3-pointers to cap the 40-point quarter and give the hosts what proved to be an insurmountable 79-58 lead heading into the final 10 minutes.
    Marissa Brown led the way for West Liberty with 21 points, hitting 8-of-9 shots from the floor and all 5 of her free throws.
    Johnie Olkosky added 15 points while Brandi Beader, Olivia Belknap and Audrey Tingle finished with 11 points each. Shives just missed a double-double with 9 points and a career-high 8 assists in a losing cause.
    Hill led a three-pronged attack for Ursuline with 27 points while Gist added 24 points and Lewis finished with 23 points and 11 assists.
    The West Liberty women open their Mountain East Conference schedule on the road Saturday with a 2 p.m. game at Glenville State.