Women's Basketball | 1/11/2018 7:45:00 PM

Box Score

    WISE, Va. – The West Liberty University women's basketball team held UVa-Wise to 25 percent shooting from the floor here Thursday night in coasting to a 73-53 victory at the Prior Convocation Center.
    Coach Kyle Cooper's Lady Hilltoppers (6-9, 5-4) took command with a second quarter surge and the Cavaliers (2-12, 1-8) were unable to answer in dropping their sixth straight.
    The hosts carried a 15-12 lead out of the first quarter and the lead swung back and forth several times during the early minutes of the second frame before the Black and Gold found the range.
    A driving layup by UVa-Wise's Dakotah Turner forged the final tie of the night, 23-23, at the 6:10 mark but a basket and a free throw from WLU's Marissa Brown at the other end put West Liberty ahead to stay.
    Jackie Kitts and Olivia Belknap came off the bench to help fuel what proved to be the decisive run for the visitors.
    Kitts got a layup to go down and followed that up with a 3-pointer while Belknap put the finishing touches on the 19-2 burst with back-to-back 3-pointers for a 42-25 Hilltopper lead with 1:08 to go before halftime.
    West Liberty led 44-29 at intermission and maintained a double-digit advantage throughout the second half.
    Brown posted yet another double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds while freshman guard Audrey Tingle had a strong outing with 11 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. McKenna Shives added 10 points along with 3 assists and 3 steals while Kitts and Belknap finished with 9 and 8 points, respectively – all in the first half.
    The Cavaliers never got anything going against WLU's scrappy defensive effort, making just 18-of-70 shots from the floor and turning the ball over 22 times. Bianca Lockamy was their lone double-figure scorer with 11 points.
    The Hilltoppers travel to Concord on Saturday for a 1 p.m. tipoff.