WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University women's basketball team continued to climb the Mountain East Conference ladder with their eighth straight win here Saturday, moving into a second-place tie in the MEC with a 76-60 revenge victory against Charleston on Senior Day at the ASRC.
    Coach Kyle Cooper's Hilltoppers (17-7, 14-4) held the Golden Eagles (19-5, 14-4) to 25 percent shooting (8-of-31) over the first two quarters to take a 38-21 halftime lead and pushed the margin as high as 30 points in the fourth quarter before finally taking their foot off the gas.
    "That was a huge win for us," Cooper said, "especially after the gift we handed them in the second half down there. I'm so pleased with the way we responded. The emotional investment and IQ for the game plan coming into today was off the charts. We're playing really, really well."
    Cooper's "gift" was a reference to the first meeting of the season between the squads. After playing a near-flawless first half, West Liberty opened up a 25-point lead in the early minutes of the third quarter only to see Charleston storm all the way back to pull out an 87-84 victory.
    Johnie Olkosky – one of four senior players honored in pre-game ceremonies – said there was a different mindset on the court Saturday afternoon.
    "I think down there we got out to that big lead and felt like we had it locked up," Olkosky said. "We took some plays off defensively and gave them a chance to get back in it. Today we went out and battled for every possession and were able to finish it off."
    The lead hit double-digits for the first time midway through the second quarter, 27-15, when Olkosky drained one of her four 3-pointers off a steal by Morgan Brunner and UC never got the deficit into single digits the rest of the way.
    Taylor Johnson brought down the curtain on the first half with a 3-point bomb for a 38-21 Hilltopper lead and a conventional 3-point play by senior post Marissa Brown – off one of Audrey Tingle's 11 assists – pushed the lead out to 59-35 heading into the fourth quarter.
    Charleston's Anna Hayton hit a 3-pointer to open the final frame but Olkosky answered with back-to-back dagger 3-pointers in less than 30 seconds and it was clear there would be no miracle comeback on this day.
    The Golden Eagles scored 13 of the game's last 14 points to make the final margin a bit more respectable.
    Seniors Brown, Olkosky, Brandi Beader and Allie Farina were honored in pre-game ceremonies along with team manager Kori Hulit.
    "This group of seniors is very special to me," Cooper said. "They're some of the first recruits I brought in when I came here as an assistant. We've been through a lot together and they've worked very hard to put themselves in this position. I couldn't be more proud of them."
    Brown had a huge afternoon with 21 points, 18 rebounds and 5 blocks while Brunner helped the Hilltoppers come roaring out of the blocks with 15 points on 5 first-half 3-pointers. Olkosky finished with 14 points while Tingle stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, 11 assists, 6 rebounds and 3 steals. Johnson added 11 points and 8 rebounds in a well-balanced attack.
    Raziyah Farrington paced UC with 20 points while Hayton and Brooklyn Pannell added 18 and 12 points, respectively.
    The West Liberty women will try to keep on rolling Wednesday night when they host West Virginia Wesleyan. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. at the ASRC.