WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University women's basketball team is at home on Saturday taking on Fairmont State.

THE BASICS
February 17, 2023 | 2:00 pm | ASRC (West Liberty, W.Va.)
Fairmont State (19-8, 13-6 MEC) vs. West Liberty (15-10, 13-6 MEC)
Live stats and video links will be available here.

THE HILLTOPPERS
West Liberty lost a heartbreaker on Wednesday night in overtime to Frostburg State, despite leading by 10 points with three minutes remaining. The Bobcats' Emilee Weakley, who finished with 47 points, made a half-court shot at the buzzer to force overtime. In the extra period, the Hilltoppers went 2-for-9 from the field and Frostburg State went just 1-for-16 but 12 free throws were enough for the Bobcats to pull out the upset win. Karly McCutcheon scored a career-high 33 points for West Liberty. The Hilltoppers assisted on 20 of their 33 made baskets and had a 13-8 edge in three-pointers, but 57.7% free throw shooting allowed Frostburg State to get back in the game and ultimately win it. After tying a season-long, four-game win streak, WLU has gone 1-for-3 in the past three games at Glenville State (L, 86-61), versus Concord (W, 87-70), and then the mentioned loss at Frostburg State on Wednesday.
 
The Hilltoppers are top-10 in DII in five different statistical categories, ranking third in assists per game (19.0), fourth in three pointers per game (10.3), seventh scoring offense (80.2) and three-point percentage (37.9%), then eighth in field goal percentage (46.6%).
 
12 of WLU's 15 wins have come by double digits. West Liberty leads the conference in field goal percentage, assists per game, three-point percentage, three-point percentage defense, three-pointers per game (10.3) and defensive rebounds per game (29.2).
 
The Hilltoppers have made 10-plus three in 12 outings, including in six of the last seven, and have at least six long balls in all but one game this season. The eight allowed last week versus Glenville State was the first time allowing more than seven made threes in a game. They have held opponents to just one triple eight times along with a shutout of West Virginia Wesleyan beyond the arc on January 28.
 
Manzay, a senior forward, leads the team averaging 18.8 points per game (second in the MEC) and 9.8 rebounds per game (third in the MEC). She had her 13^th double-double on Wednesday. All but one double-double has been in conference play and she has had one in 8 of the 13 games since January 7. Manzay ranks fourth in DII and leads the conference with a 64.7% shooting percentage. She has scored double digits in all but two games with 11 games at 20-plus and a pair of 30-point outings. The Texas native is a two-time MEC Player of the Week this season. Manzay went over 500 rebounds in her career two weeks ago and is 17 points away from 1,000 career points in the Black and Gold.
 
McCutcheon, a sophomore guard, is coming off a career-best 33-point outing on Wednesday. The New Castle, Pa native ranks fifth in DII and atop the MEC averaging 3.16 three pointers per game, while shooting 44.6% from beyond the arc, the best mark in the conference. She is scoring 17.8 points per game (5^th in the MEC) and has double-digits in all but one outing along with eight games scoring 20-plus and three 30-point games this season. McCutcheon posted nine rebounds in the win at West Virginia State, her second time just missing a double-double this season. She has recorded one double-double off 32 points, 12 rebounds, and eight three pointers at D&E on December 3. McCutcheon has multiple three pointers in all but two games and went 6-for-8 on Wednesday. She also is dishing out 3.4 assists per game with multiple in 10 of the last 12 games. On the season, McCutcheon is tied with Sarda for a team-leading 84 assists. McCutcheon is just six points away from 1,000 in her Hilltopper career.
 
Reigning first team all-conference player Corinne Thomas is averaging 11.9 points per game over 15 outings this season after battling an early-season injury. She has scored double digits in nine straight games and had her third 20-point outing with 23 on Wednesday a pair of 20-point outings with 25 points and seven three-pointers at W.Va. Wesleyan and 23 points off six threes on January 28. Thomas has made multiple threes in 14 of her 15 games played including in 11 straight and a 7-for-9 mark on January 28.
 
Grace Faulk averages 11.4 points per game and makes 2.76 three-pointers per game while shooting 38.1% from deep, good for fourth and fifth in the MEC. She posted a career-high 23 points off five threes in the win at West Virginia State on February 1. Faulk has made multiple threes in 10 of the last 12 games and scored double figures 16 times this season with two reaching the 20-point mark.
 
Sonia Sarda has started each of the last seven games and has been filling in the stat sheets. She tied her career-high in the overtime win over Charleston on February 4 with 25 points. Sarda has scored double digits in six of the last eight games, posted multiple assists in nine straight and 13 of the last 14 games, and has shown her rebounding presence with games of eight, seven, seven, and six in four of the last seven games. Sarda is averaging 8.7 points and 3.4 assists per game, tied for the team lead with 84 on the season, and leads the team with 20 steals in her first season on the hilltop as a graduate transfer. She is shooting 86.2% from the free throw line not missing since January 14 at Fairmont State, making each of her last 27 attempts.
 
West Liberty is 8-3 at home this season and 2-3 on Saturday's inside the ASRC. A win would be the Hilltoppers' fifth season-series sweep of the year, also beating Alderson Broaddus, Concord, Davis & Elkins, and West Virginia Wesleyan in all their meetings.

THE FIGHTING FALCONS
Fairmont State enters on a five-game winning streak and have won nine of the 11 games since the first meeting against the Hilltoppers. The only losses coming by three at Charleston and five at No. 5 Glenville State. On Wednesday evening, the Fighting Falcons handled Wheeling 65-42 inside their home arena.
 
The Fighting Falcons are averaging 79.3 points per game, eighth in DII and fourth in the MEC, on 41.1% shooting, while allowing 73.0 points per game on 42.4% shooting. Beyond the arc, Fairmont State is draining 7.2 threes per game and outshoot opponents 31.2% to 29.8%. The Falcons average a +3.63-turnover margin and a -2.8-rebounding margin.
 
Fairmont State leads the MEC and is second in Division II averaging 18.22 made free throws and 25.30 free throw attempts per game.
 
Alyssa DeAngelo, a 5'10" junior guard, leads the team averaging 17.9 points per game and makes 2.41 three pointers per game, while leading the MEC in free-throw percentage, at 84.9% (118-140). DeAngelo led all scorers in the first meeting against WLU with 21 points.
 
Four Falcons average double-digits. Katy Darnell (15.0), Jertaya Hall (11.2), and Jalen Gibbs (10.4) all join DeAngelo over 10-points per game. Darnell, a senior guard, leads the team shooting 48.6% from the field and pulls in 8.1 rebounds per game, just 0.1 better than Gibbs, a 6'0" forward.
 
Fairmont State is 8-5 in away games this season, 6-4 in conference road trips.

THE SERIES
This will be the 87th meeting between the schools, as West Liberty holds a 49-37 advantage all-time. The Hilltoppers have won each of the last six meetings dating to January of 2021. West Liberty won by double-digits in both regular season matchups in 2021-22 scoring above 90 points each outing, then downed the Falcons 79-70 in a quarterfinal thriller in last season's MEC Tournament. The Hilltoppers have won three of the last four home games versus Fairmont State.
 
Earlier this season (Jan. 14 | Fairmont, W.Va): West Liberty (82) – Fairmont State (69)
West Liberty picked up a key road-win against Fairmont State, 82-69, propelled by a dominant third quarter and a season-high 17 three pointers, which has since been tied. Arriana Manzay had a double-double scoring 18 points and 12 rebounds. Natalija Sekulovska netted 14 points, including three of West Liberty's four triples in a pivotal third quarter, while Grace Faulk tied her career-high with six long balls finishing with 18 points. After a neck-and-neck first half, which sent the Black and Gold to the locker room with a narrow two-point edge, WLU outscored Fairmont State by 10 points in the third quarter using a pair of runs (11-2 and 10-2) to create separation and held on for victory. 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. WLU also had 25 assists on 27 made baskets, a season-high 49 rebounds, which has since been tied, and a +12 margin on the glass.
 
MEC STANDINGS
West Liberty: T4
Fairmont State: T4
Full Standings here.
 
NEXT UP
West Liberty will play its last regular season away game on Wednesday at Notre Dame (Ohio). Tip off from South Euclid, Ohio is set for 5:30 pm.

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