WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – Glenville State's two-time defending Mountain East Conference champions broke open a close game with a big second half run here Saturday and held on for a 122-105 victory in a women's basketball shootout at the ASRC.
    Coach Kyle Cooper's Lady Hilltoppers (2-2, 0-1) traded baskets with the Pioneers (4-0, 1-0) for much of an entertaining first half that saw 5 ties and 15 lead changes before taking off on their own offensive surge.
    Trailing 41-40 at the 5-minute media timeout, WLU's Grace Fodor wrapped a pair of driving layups around a Marissa Brown post move to shift the Hilltopper offense into high gear.
    "When we push the ball and run the floor, the game really opens up for me because teams aren't able to double-team me like they can in half-court sets," Brown said. "I think our team is really good when we're able to get out and move the ball around."
    When Brandi Beader capped the 15-3 spurt with her fourth 3-pointer of the half, West Liberty had its biggest lead of the day, 55-44, with just 2:51 remaining in the second quarter.
    The Pioneers' Emily Stoller almost singlehandedly brought the visitors all the way back, scoring 11 of her career-high 44 points down the stretch to send Glenville into the locker room with a 58-57 halftime lead.
    "We did a great job today of playing extremely hard the whole way," Cooper said, "but Glenville's a very, very talented team. Their two runs at the end of the first half and in the third quarter are just daggers in an up-and-down game. It puts you in such a hole that you have to be darned near perfect to get back into it."
    The teams traded baskets for several minutes at the start of the second half before the Pioneers dropped their second dagger.
    After Brown finished off a fast-break assist from Audrey Tingle to pull the hosts within a basket, 67-65, at 6:43 of the third quarter, Glenville exploded on a 17-0 run over the next three minutes to all but put the game out of reach.
    A Donasja Scott putback with 3:13 remaining capped the surge, pushing the Pioneers' lead out to 84-65. West Liberty got the margin down to 10 points down the stretch but could get no closer.
    Brown had another big game with 34 points, 14 rebounds and 4 blocks while Morgan Brunner provided a big spark off the bench with 20 points – including 4 3-pointers – to go along with 3 assists and 2 steals.
    "I'm definitely feeling more comfortable with the system," said Brunner, a transfer from Youngstown State. "Coach Cooper's advice about focusing on one possession at a time really helped me."
    Brown and Brunner had plenty of support on the offensive end. Beader had 14 of her 17 points in the first half, Taylor Johnson added 13 points and 7 assists, Fodor chipped in with 11 points and Tingle had a game-high 8 assists.
    Stoller's 44 points are an ASRC record for an opposing player. Re'Shawna Stone backed Stoller with 25 points and Courtney Davis posted a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds.
    The Hilltoppers hit the road on Monday for a 5:30 p.m. game at West Virginia Wesleyan.