CHARLESTON, W.Va. – No. 25-ranked Charleston overcame a 25-point second-half deficit here Saturday to hand West Liberty a frustrating 87-84 setback in Mountain East Conference women's basketball action at the Wehrle Center.
    It was the 12th straight win for the host Golden Eagles (13-1, 8-0) but Coach Kyle Cooper's upset-minded Hilltoppers (8-6, 5-3) certainly made them work for it.
    West Liberty's perimeter shooting helped the visitors come storming out of the blocks in a dominating first half performance.
    The Hilltoppers were a sizzling 10-for-18 from the 3-point arc in the first 20 minutes, taking their biggest lead of the half, 49-25, on an Olivia Belknap 3-point bomb with 1:31 on the clock before settling for a 51-29 lead at the break.
    West Liberty appeared ready to pick up where it left off when play resumed as Audrey Tingle drove to the hoop to give WLU its biggest lead of the game, 56-31, with 8:20 on the third quarter clock.
    Unfortunately for the Black and Gold, Charleston found the range just as the Hilltoppers began to run into foul difficulty.
    West Liberty's All-America center Marissa Brown, the focus of UC's defensive efforts for much of the day, missed much of the third quarter after picking up her third foul and the hosts made the most of their opportunity.
    The Golden Eagles shot a blistering 12-of-14 from the floor during the quarter, cutting the margin down to single digits, 70-61, heading into the final 10 minutes.
    Charleston kept the momentum going and finally took the lead, 73-72, on a Raziyah Farrington 10-footer with 6:39 on the clock.
    West Liberty didn't go away quietly. The Hilltoppers scored 10 of the next 14 points to go up, 82-75, with 4:37 to play but the UC defense held WLU without a field goal the rest of the way and closed the game on a 12-2 run.
    Unofficial stats showed Beader leading four double-figure scorers for the Hilltoppers with 20 points while Belknap was credited with 13 points and 4 assists. Tingle had 11 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and a pair of steals with Taylor Johnson adding 10 points. Brown finished with 8 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks before fouling out.
    Farrington led all scorers with 36 points while Anna Hayton finished with 20 points. Brooklyn Pannell added 11 tallies and Gracie Roberts made a run at a triple-double with 9 points, 8 rebounds and 10 assists.
    The WLU women will host UVa-Wise Thursday night at the ASRC. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.