WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – A cold-shooting night and an up-tempo opponent proved a lethal combination for the West Liberty women on Wednesday as West Virginia State ran away to its fourth straight win, 83-61, inside the ASRC.
    Coach Kyle Cooper's Hilltoppers (2-5), who had come within a single possession of upsetting Glenville State on Saturday, couldn't find any offensive consistency against the aggressive Yellow Jackets (4-3) and their full-court pressing style until the waning minutes.
    West Liberty kept things close in the early going and trailed just 24-20 after a Lindsay Humbel 3-point play with just over 6 minutes left in the second quarter but that's when a lid slammed down tightly on the Hilltopper rim.
    West Virginia State held WLU to just one field goal over the rest of the half and for the first few minutes of the third quarter to take complete control of the evening's proceedings.
    The Yellow Jackets outscored their hosts by a 24-3 margin over that span, opening up a 48-23 lead before West Liberty's Karly McCutcheon hit a 3-pointer to end the surge at 7:25 of the third quarter.
    State didn't take its foot off the gas, however, and WLU's shooting woes continued. The Yellow Jackets steadily pulled away to their largest lead of the night, 81-42, with 6:11 remaining on a Sa'Dera Johnson fast break.
    That's when the Hilltoppers finally seemed to find a rhythm. Fueled by consecutive baskets from Tasia Staunton, WLU reeled off 19 unanswered points to close the gap to 81-61 in the final minute. A Charity Shears hoop with 45 seconds left produced the final margin.
    Destiny Fields had a huge game for the Yellow Jackets with 33 points and 11 rebounds while Zakorrah Russell and Kalia Cunningham finished with 12 and 10 points, respectively. State forced the Hilltoppers into a season-high 34 turnovers while holding the Black and Gold to just 34 percent (23-of-66) shooting from the floor.
    McCutcheon tossed in a career-high 18 points for West Liberty while Arriana Manzay grabbed 11 rebounds.
    The Hilltoppers face another daunting task on Saturday when they head south to take on unbeaten Charleston. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. in the Wehrle Innovation Center.