WHEELING, W.Va. – Marissa Brown hit a layup as time expired here Saturday to give the West Liberty University women a thrilling 73-72 victory over upset-minded arch rival Wheeling Jesuit at the McDonough Center.
    It was the 20th win of the season for Coach Kyle Cooper's Hilltoppers (20-8, 17-5), who will be the No. 4 seed in next week's Mountain East Conference Tournament at WesBanco Arena. The Cardinals (4-24, 2-20) ended their season with their 21st loss in the last 22 games.
    The hosts didn't go down without a fight, however, in a wire-to-wire battle that featured 9 ties and 17 lead changes.
    Senior center Chenelle Moore, who led WJU with 34 points and 10 rebounds, put the Cardinals on top, 72-71, with a conventional 3-point play just 14 seconds before the final horn.
    West Liberty missed at the other end and Moore was fouled on the rebound with 4 seconds left. Neither foul shot dropped and WLU had one more chance with 3.9 seconds on the clock.
    "We've been working on that situation every day in practice since January so we knew what we wanted if the opportunity presented itself," Cooper said. "Even though we hadn't scored on the previous possession, we saw we could get the ball to Marissa. Audrey (Tingle) made a great entry pass and Marissa did the rest."
    The 6-3 Brown, who was on the court for 39 of the 40 minutes, finished just one block shy of a triple-double with 24 points, 16 rebounds and 9 blocks.
    Tingle also put up impressive numbers with 14 points – including 3-of-3 from the 3-point arc – to go along with 10 rebounds and a game-high 7 assists. Taylor Johnson also finished with 14 points to round out the double-digit scorers as WLU cracked the 20-win plateau for the 18th time in the last 24 seasons.
    "I don't think so much about what 20 wins means to me as what it means for the others we've shared this journey with," Cooper said. "I'm so happy for the players, who have battled through the highs and lows and I'm thrilled to see my coaches rewarded for all the long hours and hard work they put in.
    "Finally, I'm grateful to (Athletic Director) Coach (Lynn) Ullom for believing in me enough to give me the opportunity to build on the great tradition he built here over the years."
    Lauren Lipscomb and Taliah Cashwell backed Moore for Wheeling Jesuit on Saturday with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
    Victorious in 11 of their last 12 outings, the Hilltoppers received a bye through the first round of this week's MEC Tournament and will take on No. 5 seed Notre Dame in Thursday's 8:15 p.m. quarterfinal at WesBanco Arena.
    "It might seem a little strange but I like being tested like this going into the tournament," Cooper said. "This team has proven time and time again that we will fight for every possession and that's what wins games for you at tournament time."