FAIRMONT, W.Va. - A season-high 17 three pointers and a dominant third quarter propelled the West Liberty University women's basketball team to a conference road win at Fairmont State, 82-69, Saturday afternoon.

The Hilltoppers (9-6, 7-3) went back-and-forth with the Fighting Falcons (10-6, 6-4) in the opening 10 minutes, as the margin remained at one-possession or less for nearly the entire quarter. Five points in a row by the Black and Gold to start the second quarter put West Liberty ahead seven (20-13), but Fairmont State quickly answered the run with six straight points of their own. The lead changed hands four more times in the final five minutes of the first half ending with a Sonia Sarda straight away three pointer to give WLU a 32-30 edge at the break.

Natalija Sekulovska made three of West Liberty's four triples in the third quarter to help the Black and Gold build a 12-point lead. An 11-2 and 10-2 run in the third frame created the separation for the Hilltoppers. Four different players scored in the 11-2 run that spanned nearly four and a half minutes midway through the quarter, then Sekulovska racked up all nine of her points in the quarter over the final 2:33 highlighting the 10-2 spurt to end the frame. The 'Toppers totaled 10 of their 21 fast break points in the third quarter, as they outscored Fairmont State by 11 points on the run in the game.

West Liberty kept the lead at double digits for all but 23 seconds of the fourth quarter rolling to victory. Grace Faulk's sixth three pointer of the afternoon gave the Hilltoppers their largest lead of the game (78-63) with just under two and half minutes remaining.

Faulk's six long balls tied a career-high, as she netted 18 points tying Arriana Manzay for the team lead in the win. Manzay posted her seventh double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Faulk also pulled in eight rebounds and dished out a career-high seven assists.

Sekulovska finished the day with 14 points off a career-best four triples, and Karly McCutcheon charted 12 points and nine rebounds.

The Hilltoppers did not allow a three pointer in the second half, as Fairmont State went 0-for-6, and they outshot the Falcons 17-2 overall from beyond the arc.

An incredible 25 assists, the most in a game this season, were made on 27 made field goals for West Liberty. The Black and Gold also pulled in a season-high 49 rebounds and had a +12 margin on the glass.

West Liberty will stay on the road and travel to Bluefield State on Monday at 5 pm for its non-conference finale.

Follow Hilltopper basketball all season online at HilltopperSports.com and on Twitter (@WLU_Hoops | @WLathletics), Instagram (@wlu_wbb | @wlu_athletics), and Facebook.

Postgame Interview

Head Coach Kyle Cooper