GLENVILLE, W.Va. – The West Liberty University women held unbeaten and No. 5-ranked Glenville State to one of its lowest point totals of the season here Saturday but it wasn't enough to keep the Pioneers from pulling away to an 84-63 win inside the Waco Center.
    Coach Kyle Cooper's Hilltoppers (9-5, 4-4) trailed by just two points midway through the third quarter but Glenville State (12-0, 7-0) clamped down on the defensive end to take a double-digit lead into the fourth quarter and held WLU at bay the rest of the way.
    The Pioneers – who lead the nation in scoring at 102.4 ppg. – entered Saturday's game having crushed their first six Mountain East Conference opponents by an average score of 114-66 but it was a different story on Saturday. The 84 points represented the second-lowest total of the season for the nationally-ranked hosts, dating back to an 81-79 squeaker against Bloomsburg (Pa.) in a mutual season opener.
    West Liberty trailed just 25-22 after one quarter of play and it took a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Glenville's Mashayla Cecil to put the hosts up 41-33 at intermission.
    After GSC's Taychaun Hubbard pushed the margin into double-digits, 43-33, with a drive to the hoop on the opening possession of the second half, back-to-back 3-pointers by Corinne Thomas and a pair of Grace Faulk free throws made it a one-possession game, 43-41, at 7:08 of the third quarter.
    West Liberty was unable to get over the hump as the Pioneers' relentless pressure forced six turnovers while holding WLU off the scoreboard for the next six minutes. That created the 13-2 surge that restored Glenville's double-digit lead, 56-43, after three quarters and the Hilltoppers couldn't recover.
    Thomas topped WLU with 17 points – including 5 3-pointers – and 7 rebounds while Faulk and Bailee Smith added 14 and 11 lightings, respectively. Audrey Tingle rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points to go along with 7 rebounds and a game-high 4 assists.
    Tingle, a 5-6 senior guard from West Lafayette, Ohio, passed a significant milestone on Saturday. Her 3-point bomb at the 7:13 mark of the opening quarter gave her 1,001 points for her Hilltopper career - making her the 35th member of WLU's 1,000-Point Club.
    Zakiyah Winfield had 24 points and a dozen rebounds to lead Glenville State. Re'Shawna Stone added 18 points and Hubbard finished with 16 points and 10 boards.
    The West Liberty women hit the MEC road against on Wednesday when they travel to Frostburg State for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff.