SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. –
Marissa Brown scored her 1,500th career point and the West Liberty University women's basketball team rolled to its third straight win here Wednesday, breezing past Shepherd, 79-61, in Mountain East Conference action at the Butcher Center.
The win capped a season sweep for Coach
Kyle Cooper's Hilltoppers (12-7, 9-4), who had routed the Rams (10-9, 7-6) by a 96-72 count in a December meeting.
West Liberty opened the game on a 19-6 run only to see Shepherd score the final 14 points of the opening frame to take its only lead of the game, 20-19, heading into the second quarter.
The Hilltoppers regained their shooting touch to open up a 37-29 halftime lead and exploded for 25 points in the third quarter to put the game out of reach, 62-44, at the start of the fourth quarter.
West Liberty led by as many as 24 points, 79-55, down the stretch in snapping the Rams' 5-game winning streak.
The 6-3 Brown battled through foul trouble along with an assortment of double- and triple-teams to become the first Mountain East Conference woman to pass the 1,500-point milestone in less than three seasons.
Brown finished with 8 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and a pair of blocks in just 22 minutes of action, putting her at 1,505 points and 719 rebounds for her career. Both totals rank No. 8 on the Hilltoppers' all-time leaderboard.
Taylor Johnson paced a balanced attack for the Black and Gold, pouring in 25 points and handing out a team-high 5 assists while shooting 5-of-6 from the 3-point arc.
Morgan Brunner made 4 of her 5 3-point tries and finished with 17 points off the bench while
Audrey Tingle went 3-for-4 from the 3-point line and scored a dozen points.
Brandi Beader rounded out the double-figure scorers with 11 tallies.
Sydney Clayton and Kayla Tibbs led the way for Shepherd with 18 and 14 points, respectively.
The WLU women return home on Saturday to host Fairmont State in the first game of the NCAA Division II Basketball Showcase. Tipoff is set for 1:35 p.m. at the ASRC.
