ATHENS, W.Va. – The West Liberty University women's basketball team came out cold here Wednesday night and couldn't battle all the way back as Concord claimed a 68-56 victory at the Carter Center.
    Coach Kyle Cooper's Hilltoppers (2-3) went just 1-for-15 from the floor in a nightmarish first quarter that saw the Mountain Lions (3-2) open up a whopping 19-2 lead.
    The scrappy West Liberty squad spent the rest of the evening whittling away at the lead and had it down to 54-48 after a Karly McCutcheon 3-pointer with 2:22 to go.
    Unfortunately for the visitors, Riley Fitzwater, Concord's dominant 6-4 center, stopped the bleeding with a basket and a free on the next two possessions and the Mountain Lions pulled away at the foul line for the final tally.
    "The reality is you can't score 2 points in a quarter against a quality basketball team and not expect to pay a price," Cooper said. "Our girls did a good job of getting re-dialed in for the second quarter and were able to make a game of it at the end.
    "Bottom line, I'm proud of the effort and fight we showed tonight; not so proud of the first quarter. We'll learn from this. We'll go home, get back in the gym and start getting ready for Glenville."
    Fitzwater had a huge game with 30 points and 15 rebounds – both game-highs. Maddie Ratcliff and Maggie Guynn added 15 and 10 points, respectively, for the hosts.
    McCutcheon and Olivia Belknap shared game scoring honors for the Hilltoppers with 14 points each. Arriana Manzay added 13 points and 3 steals.
    The Black and Gold will be back in the ASRC on Saturday to host Glenville State. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.