West Liberty, W.Va. – The West Liberty University women's basketball team moved to 2-0 in MEC play on Wednesday night as they defeated West Virginia Wesleyan 78-72 inside the ASRC. The Hilltoppers pushed the lead to double figures late in the first half and led by as many as 12 points in the third quarter, but they used their best shooting performance of the season (48.1% from the field) to fend off a late Bobcat charge in the final period.
 
QUICK DETAILS
Final Score: West Liberty 78, West Virginia Wesleyan 72
Team Records: West Liberty 4-2 (2-0 MEC), West Virginia Wesleyan 2-4 (0-3 MEC)
Attendance: 442
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• A 3-pointer by Bailee Smith pushed the West Liberty lead to 6-0 only 1:16 into the game before West Virginia Wesleyan was able to score their first points of the game. The Hilltoppers were able to extend the lead out to nine points on multiple occasions prior to the media timeout as Natalija Sekulovska connected on a 3-pointer and a layup before a fastbreak layup by Paige Julian made it 17-8 with 4:20 remaining at the under five timeout. The Bobcats ended the period on a 9-0 scoring run to give themselves the 19-18 advantage after the first ten minutes of play.
• WVWC extended the scoring run to 13-0 with the first four points of the second quarter before three consecutive 3-pointers, two from Karly McCutcheon and one from Corinne Thomas swung the momentum back to West Liberty with a 27-23 lead with 7:03 remaining till halftime. From that point on WLU would lead the remainder of the half and built a ten point lead in the final minute with an 8-0 scoring run. A layup in the closing seconds for WVWC made it a 41-33 ball game in favor of West Liberty at the break.
• Midway through the third quarter, 3-pointers from Thomas and Grace Faulk gave West Liberty the largest lead of the game at 49-37 and 52-40 respectively as the teams closed in on the under five media timeout. West Virginia Wesleyan, however, would score nine of the final 13 points of the third period and cut the lead down to 56-49 entering the final ten minutes of play.
• West Virginia Wesleyan opened the fourth quarter with an 11-2 scoring run to take a 60-58 advantage, but West Liberty maintained their composure as Smith knocked down a 3-pointer to put the Hilltoppers back in front with a 61-60 advantage with 4:39 remaining. The Bobcats tied the game one final time at 61 all, however the Black & Gold would not trail the remainder of the contest and led by as many as nine points as McCutcheon added a fastbreak layup with two minute left. The Hilltoppers iced the game away by going 7-of-9 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter en route to a six point win.
• West Liberty shot 26-of-54 (48.1%) from the field, 13-of-33 (39.4%) from 3-point range, and 13-of-21 (61.9%) from the free throw line compared to 28-of-51 (54.9%) from the field, 5-of-11 (45.5%) from 3-point range, and 11-of-16 (68.8%) from the free throw line for West Virginia Wesleyan.
• The Bobcats held the advantage on the boards (31-22) posted 12 second chance points off nine offensive rebounds, while the Black & Gold held the edge in fast break points (19-2) and points off turnovers (17-8).
• West Liberty assisted on 21 of their 26 made baskets and saw five players make a 3-point field goal in the game. Smith led the way by knocking down four shots from beyond the arc and Thomas and McCutcheon each added three apiece.

WEST LIBERTY STATISTICAL LEADERS
Karly McCutcheon: 22 points, 3 3-pointers 3 steals, 2 assists
Bailee Smith: 16 points, 4-of-7 3-pointers, 3 assists, 2 rebounds
Paige Julian: 14 points, 6-of-9 field goals, 5 rebounds, 2 steals
Corinne Thomas: 13 points, 3 3-pointers, 4 assists, 3 rebounds

.POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE (KARLY MCCUTCHEON, PAIGE JULIAN, AND HEAD COACH KYLE COOPER) 


UP NEXT
West Liberty will play their first road MEC contest of the year on Saturday afternoon when they travel to Davis & Elkins. The Hilltoppers and the Senators are set for a 2 p.m. tip-off inside the McDonnell Center in Elkins, West Virginia.