North Canton, Ohio – The West Liberty University women's basketball team fell in their first of three consecutive games in the state of Ohio as they dropped an 83-74 contest at Walsh on Tuesday night. After struggling to find the bottom of the net in the opening minutes, the Hilltoppers grabbed the lead midway through the first quarter and led at the halftime break after an 11-5 scoring run gave them a six point advantage The Cavaliers, however, swung the momentum as they entered the final ten minutes on an 11-1 scoring run, outscoring WLU 29-15 in the third period. The Black & Gold were then only able to get within four points early in the fourth as Walsh's double digit lead was too much to overcome late.
QUICK DETAILS
Final Score: West Liberty 74, Walsh 83
Team Records: West Liberty 5-5 (3-2 MEC), Walsh 3-4 (1-2 GMAC)
Attendance: 116
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After starting the game 0-of-9 from the field and 0-of-4 from 3-point range, West Liberty finally broke the seal on the basket as Bailey Beckstedt found Jenna Riccardo for a layup with 5:41 to play in the opening quarter. The basket helped jump start a 9-2 scoring run as the Hilltoppers took their first lead of the game when Corinne Thomas found Grace Faulk in the right corner for a 3-pointer to make it a 7-4 ball game. Walsh tied the game at nine apiece on a 3-pointer of their own with 2:38 to play, however the Black & Gold continued to play with the momentum as they ended the quarter in front 18-12 following a 9-3 scoring run, capped by another layup by Riccardo in the closing seconds as Bailee Smith found her open underneath the basket while breaking the Cavalier press.
- Walsh opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer just ten seconds in to cut the West Liberty lead in half, 18-15. The Cavaliers tied the game twice in the early minutes of the second quarter at 20 and 25, however the Hilltoppers had an answer both times with Karly McCutcheon knocking down a straightaway 3-pointer while Smith converted on an old-fashioned 3-point play. Smith's layup and the free throw was the start of an 11-5 scoring run for the Black & Gold to get to a 36-30 advantage entering the halftime break, capped by a fastbreak 3-pointer by Thomas with 1:20 left on the clock.
- Walsh started what would become a big third quarter for them with the first six points out of the halftime break to tie the game at 36 apiece before McCutcheon gave West Liberty their first points of the second half with a 3-pointer off an assist from Thomas with 7:13 to play in the period. A layup by Riccardo pushed the lead to five, but the game continued to go back-and-forth midway through the third as the Hilltoppers and Cavaliers were tied on five different occasions. WLU had answers with a pair of 3-pointers from McCutcheon and one from Faulk, however Walsh grabbed the lead for good with an 11-1 scoring run to enter the fourth quarter leading 59-51.
- The Cavalier scoring run and momentum continued with a fastbreak 3-pointer off a steal to start the fourth quarter, stretching the run to 14-1 and the lead to double digits at 62-51. Smith gave West Liberty their first points of the fourth on a pair of free throws less than a minute in, but the Cavs once again pushed the lead back to 11 on a layup in the paint. A 7-0 Hilltopper scoring run quickly forced Walsh to call a timeout with 6:14 to play in regulation as back-to-back 3-pointers by Beckstedt off assists from McCutcheon and Thomas brought the Black & Gold within four points at 64-60. Out of the timeout the Cavaliers swung the momentum back their direction with a 10-2 scoring run to give them the largest lead of the game at 74-62 with 3:24 left on the clock. West Liberty would not go down without a fight though as McCutcheon's relentless shooting from deep saw the ball go through the bottom of the net on back-to-back possessions and cut the deficit to six points at 80-74 with 21 seconds remaining. Walsh iced the game away at the free throw line going 3-of-4 in the final 20 seconds and was 5-of-6 from the charity stripe in the final quarter.
- West Liberty shot 26-of-68 (38.2%) from the field, 13-of-34 (38.2%) from 3-point range, and 9-of-18 (50.0%) from the free throw line compared to 29-of-70 (41.4%) from the field, 5-of-20 (25.0%) from 3-point range, and 20-of-25 (80.0%) from the free throw line for Walsh.
- WLU assisted on 21 of 26 made shot attempts in the game and converted 18 Walsh turnovers into a 21-14 advantage in points off turnovers.
- The Cavaliers held the advantage on the glass as they outrebounded the Hilltoppers 57-33 and converted 19 offensive rebounds into a 17-0 advantage in second chance points.
- Walsh's presence down low resulted in eight blocked shots for the Cavaliers, seven of which occurred in the first half, and a 48-26 points in the paint advantage.
- A trio of West Liberty athletes scored in double figures as McCutcheon led the way with 19 points while Riccardo and Thomas added 16 and 14 points respectively.
- Five WLU players connected on a 3-pointer in the game as McCutcheon knocked down a game-high six shots from beyond the arc while Thomas, Faulk, and Beckstedt each connected on two from deep.
- The Hilltoppers have made double digit 3-pointers in eight games this season, and have made 13 or more in five of those contests. McCutcheon's six 3-pointers tied the most in a game this season by a WLU player.
WEST LIBERTY STATISTICAL LEADERS
Karly McCutcheon: 19 points, 6-of-10 3-pointers, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 steal
Jenna Riccardo: 16 points, 7-of-12 field goals, 9 rebounds
Corinne Thomas: 14 points, 2 3-pointers, 7 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals
Bailee Smith: 8 points, 3-of-3 free throws, 6 assists, 1 steal
UP NEXT
West Liberty will play their second game of three consecutive games in the Buckeye State on Thursday when they play at Ohio Dominican. The Hilltoppers and Panthers are set for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off inside Alumni Hall in Columbus, Ohio.
