WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – Defense and rebounding were the keys once again here Saturday as the West Liberty University women's basketball team hammered Davis & Elkins, 90-50, in Mountain East Conference action inside the ASRC.
    Coach Kyle Cooper's Hilltoppers (5-2, 3-1) held the Senators (1-6, 0-4) to just 26 percent shooting in the second half and carved out a whopping 53-34 advantage off the glass for their second straight dominating win.
    "I thought we played really, really well today," Cooper said. "The defense and rebounding enables us to get out and run and that's when we're at our best. We definitely wanted to push the pace today to get into Davis & Elkins' legs. Holding a team to 50 points in a game played at that pace, I'd say we did a pretty good job."
    Fresh off Wednesday's 70-44 romp at West Virginia Wesleyan, West Liberty struggled to find its groove in the early going as Davis & Elkins kept things close for much of the first quarter.
    The Hilltoppers began to hit their stride late in the period, going ahead to stay, 19-18, on a Molly Bauer post move at the 2-minute mark and carrying a 24-20 lead into the second stanza.
    The Black and Gold kept right on rolling when play resumed, opening the second 10-minute period with a 13-2 burst to go up, 37-22, and cruised into halftime with a 47-28 lead.
    The second half was more of the same as Davis & Elkins had no answer for a balanced West Liberty attack featuring multiple double-figure scorers. The Hilltoppers shot better than 50 percent from the floor for most of the afternoon while posting an 18-4 edge in second-chance points and handing out 22 assists on 36 made baskets.
    Corinne Thomas and Karly McCutcheon led the scoring parade for WLU with 19 points each. Thomas made a run at a triple-double with 11 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals while McCutcheon drained a season-high 5 3-pointers while passing out a career-high 7 assists.
    "We wanted to get Corinne going but she really set the stage for that today with the way she was running the floor and rebounding," Cooper said. "Once we saw that, I thought we did a good job as a staff putting her in position to make plays and she took care of the rest.
    "Very pleased with Karly, as well. She did a great job picking her spots. Great shot selection and shared the ball really well. She was very poised out there today and it looks like the game is slowing down for her."
    Not to be outdone, senior point guard Audrey Tingle posted her fifth double-double of the young season with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists. West Liberty's twin towers of 6-3 Arriana Manzay and 6-4 Molly Bauer made their presence felt in the paint, combining for 25 points, 11 rebounds and 5 blocked shots while shooting a combined 67 percent (12-for-18) from the floor.
    Davis and Elkins finished the afternoon shooting just 30 percent (19-of-63) from the floor and made just 3-of-18 3-point attempts. Dream Cherry tossed in 14 points to pace three double-figure scorers.
    The Hilltoppers return to the ASRC on Wednesday for a big test against defending NCAA Division II Atlantic Region champion Charleston. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.