WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University women's basketball team knocked down 10 3-pointers in the first half alone Wednesday night to key a 92-65 rout of Ohio County rival Wheeling inside the ASRC.
    Sophomore Grace Faulk drained 6 3-pointers for a career-high 18 points as Coach Kyle Cooper's Hilltoppers (5-6) pulled into a second-place tie in the MEC North Division with their third consecutive blowout win.
    "Everybody saw tonight why we've always been big Grace Faulk fans," Cooper said. "She and Karly (McCutcheon) give us that great young 1-2 punch from the perimeter and our veterans, Audrey (Tingle) and Olivia (Belknap), had great games once again. We're growing up and growing together as a team."
    West Liberty took control early, breaking open a tight contest with a 13-0 first quarter run – keyed by two of Faulk's 3-point bombs – and carried a 27-16 lead into the second frame.
    A short jumper from Emily Holzopfel briefly pulled the Cardinals (5-6) within seven points, 30-23, but the Hilltoppers held the visitors to one field goal over the next eight minutes while never taking their foot off the gas at the other end of the floor.
    Faulk's fourth 3-pointer of the half capped a 19-2 WLU surge with just under a minute to go and the hosts trotted off the court with an insurmountable 49-27 lead.
    West Liberty cooled off just a touch over the final two quarters but the issue had already been decided. The Black and Gold led by as many as 31 points coming down the stretch.
    As Cooper noted, Faulk wasn't the only Hilltopper to have a big night. Belknap lit it up for a game-high 26 points while Tingle turned in her usual outstanding floor game with 16 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and a pair of steals.
    McCutcheon, just a freshman, rounded out the double-figure scorers with a dozen points for a WLU squad that was 31-of-61 (51 percent) from the floor, 15-of-29 (52 percent) from the 3-point arc and 15-of-18 (83 percent) from the foul line.
    Not to be overlooked were the quiet contributions of senior post Jackie Kitts, who had 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 points and a pair of steals while teaming with posts Arriana Manzay, Lindsay Humbel and Tasia Staunton to help hold Cardinal All-American post Lilly Ritz in check.
    "This was just a total team effort," Cooper said. "Jackie does so many things that may not show up in the box score but definitely show up in the final score, she's a big key to our success. When we have all of our parts working together, and we're getting there, it can be pretty special."
    Ritz finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Maura Castellucci and Emily Holzopfel added 14 and 12 points, respectively, for the Cardinals.
    West Liberty returns to action on Saturday with a crucial rematch against North Division leading Notre Dame (Ohio). Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. in South Euclid, Ohio