ERIE, Pa. – The West Liberty University women's basketball team carried a lead into the second half of their mutual season opener against California (Pa.) Saturday night only to see a second-half surge carry the Vulcans to a 76-60 victory in the Atlantic Region Crossover at Mercyhurst University.
    Coach Kyle Cooper's youthful Hilltoppers fought back from an 18-7 deficit in the first quarter to take a 28-27 halftime lead against the perennial Atlantic Region power.
    Trailing 18-10 after Corinne Thomas closed out the opening quarter with a 3-point bomb, West Liberty turned up the defensive heat over the last five minutes of the first half.
    Ciara Loyd's driving layup with 5:38 remaining in the quarter gave California a 23-17 lead but it turned out to be the final basket of the half for the Vulcans as WLU began chipping away.
    West Liberty outscored CU, 7-0, over the last three minutes of the half to lead at the break and Arriana Manzay scored off an assist from Thomas on the opening possession of the third quarter for a 30-27 Hilltopper lead.
    The teams traded leads for the next few minutes but with West Liberty clinging to a 35-34 advantage following a pair of free throws by Thomas, a lid suddenly clamped down on the Hilltopper hoop.
    California outscored WLU, 15-2, over the next five minutes to turn that 35-34 West Liberty lead into a 49-36 Vulcan advantage. Freshman guard Anna Lucarelli ended the run with a 3-point bomb, closing the gap to 49-39, and a Tingle layup cut it to 49-41 with less than two minutes to play in the quarter but that was as close as the Hilltoppers could get.
    The Vulcans carried a 54-43 lead into the final quarter and held WLU at bay the rest of the way.
    It was an incredibly physical game with the teams combining for a whopping 51 fouls and 50 free throws. Three Hilltopper players fouled out down the stretch and two more were playing with four fouls at the final buzzer.
    "Although it was a pretty messy game, we found ways to create enough opportunities to give us a chance," Cooper said. "Unfortunately, Cal was able to make a few more timely plays in crucial situations than we were tonight.
    "That being said, as a staff we were really proud of the consistent fight all of our players showed against a really good basketball team. If we continue to bring that level of effort, we will get better and better as we gain experience with each passing game. We're extremely excited about this group and looking forward to seeing them back out on the court tomorrow."
    Thomas played all 40 minutes for West Liberty and just missed her first career double-double with 18 points and a game-high 9 rebounds. Manzay added a dozen points and 5 rebounds while Tingle finished with 9 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals.
    Loyd led all scorers with 19 points for the Vulcans while Olivia Hudson and Brionna Allen added 16 and 12 points, respectively.
    The Hilltoppers close out the tournament on Sunday with a 5 p.m. game against host Mercyhurst. The Lakers dropped a 49-41 decision to No. 17 Charleston on Saturday.