WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – All-America center Marissa Brown poured in a school-record 46 points to highlight a dominating performance and the West Liberty women routed West Virginia State, 100-74, Thursday night at the ASRC.
    The 6-3 senior from Columbus, Ohio hit her first 10 shots from the floor on her way to breaking the previous school record of 44 points, set by WLU Hall of Famer Melissa Hammond in a 78-62 victory against West Virginia State on Feb. 13, 1992.
    "I can't say enough about Marissa Brown," head coach Kyle Cooper said. "She has worked so hard to get to this point and it's great to see that hard work rewarded. The best thing about it is that her teammates wanted it for her as much as she did because she is so team-oriented. I'm proud of Marissa and I love her. She's a silent superstar."
    The Hilltoppers (8-5, 5-2) were in control from the opening tap, breaking the Yellow Jackets (3-10, 2-5) full-court pressure as Brown consistently beat her defender down the floor to cash in virtually uncontested layups.
    West Liberty bolted out to a 16-1 lead in the first four minutes and never took its foot off the gas. The Hilltoppers were up, 34-12, at the end of the first quarter and coasted to a 57-38 halftime lead. The Yellow Jackets never threatened in the second half.
    "I thought tonight was a just an unbelievable job by our entire team," Cooper said. "We really bought into what we were doing in practice over a pretty extended break and got back to sharing the basketball and caring about each other. The fact that we had 33 assists on 39 field goals really highlights that so I'm extremely pleased."
    Brown tied the record with a free throw for her 44^th point with 5:24 to play before cashing in an assist from Morgan Brunner for the record-setting layup with 2:17 to play. Cooper substituted for her immediately after the shot and Brown left the court to a standing ovation.
    "That moment will always have a special place in my heart," Brown said. "I'm so happy it came in a big win and the fact that I was able to share it with such a special group of teammates makes it even better."
    In addition to her school scoring record, Brown also broke her own school record with 21 field goals while grabbing 18 rebounds and just missing a triple-double with 8 blocked shots. Taylor Johnson backed the senior standout with 17 points while Brunner and Brandi Beader finished with 9 and 8 points, respectively. Audrey Tingle added 8 assists and 6 rebounds from her point guard spot.
    Jordan Miller led West Virginia State with 18 points while Anesha Harmon added 11.
    The Lady Hilltoppers face a stiff test on Saturday when they hit the road to take on No. 25-ranked Charleston. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. in the capital city.