WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University women's basketball team wraps up the regular season on Saturday hosting crosstown rival Wheeling.

THE BASICS
February 25, 2023 | 2:00 pm | ASRC (West Liberty, W.Va.)
Wheeling (14-13, 12-9 MEC) vs. West Liberty (16-11, 14-7 MEC)
Live stats and video links will be available here.

THE HILLTOPPERS
West Liberty bounced back from a pair of tough losses last week with a convincing, 78-61, win over Notre Dame Wednesday evening in South Euclid, Ohio. WLU scored seven straight points early in the first quarter to go up 10-4 and never looked back holding the lead the rest of the way. The Hilltoppers stretched their lead to double digits in the second quarter and extended it to a game-high 21 points (73-52) late in the fourth quarter. The Hilltoppers went 22-for-25 (88%) from the free throw line, the most free throws in an MEC game and second most overall this season by WLU. A 16-for-17 effort at the stripe came in the second half. WLU assisted on 17 of its 25 made shots and held Notre Dame to just three. Seven Hilltoppers recorded assists. Karly McCutcheon's four led the way. After a cold shooting start, West Liberty shot 51.9% from the floor and 41.7% from beyond the arc in the second half. The Hilltoppers racked up eight of their 10 fast break points in the final 20 minutes and only allowed three the whole game. Arriana Manzay filled the stat sheet with a 22-point, 13-rebound double-double with three blocks, three assists, and a steal. Manzay shot 8-for-12 from the field and went a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Sonia Sarda charted 18 points with a pair of triples, eight rebounds, three assists, and four steals. Corinne Thomas scored seven first quarter points to help the Hilltoppers get ahead and finished with 13 on the night including a 6-for-7 effort at the free throw line. McCutcheon ended with 11 points and a game-high four assists.
 
The Hilltoppers are top-10 in DII in five different statistical categories, ranking third in three point percentage (38.0%) and assists per game (19.3), fourth in three pointers per game (10.3), sixth scoring offense (80.3) and field goal percentage (46.8%). They also are 11^th in three-point attempts per game (27.2).
 
13 of WLU's 16 wins have come by double digits. West Liberty leads the conference in field goal percentage, assists per game, three-point percentage, three-pointers per game, and defensive rebounds per game (29.4), then ranks second in three-point defense (27.8%) and fouls per game (17.1).
 
The Hilltoppers have made 10-plus threes in 13 outings, including in seven of the last nine, and have at least six long balls in all but one game this season. They have outshot their opponents in all but one game from beyond the arc and allowed more than seven threes in a game just once. WLU has 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 19.4 points per game (second in the MEC) and 9.9 rebounds per game (third in the MEC). She has 14 double-doubles this season. All but one double-double has been in conference play and she has had one in 9 of the 15 games since January 7. Manzay ranks third in DII and leads the conference with a 65.9% shooting percentage. She has scored double digits in all but two games with 13 games at 20-plus and had her third 30-point outing last Saturday versus Fairmont State. The Texas native is a two-time MEC Player of the Week this season. Manzay went over 500 career rebounds and became the 37^th member of the 1,000-point club in the Black and Gold on Saturday.
 
McCutcheon, a sophomore guard in her third season, became the 36^th member of the West Liberty 1,000-point club on Saturday in her 71^st career game. The New Castle, Pa native ranks eighth in DII and third in the MEC averaging 3.04 three pointers per game, while shooting 42.9% from beyond the arc, also ranking second in the MEC and 15^th nationally. She is scoring 17.3 points per game (8^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 has recorded one double-double off 32 points, 12 rebounds, and eight three pointers at D&E on December 3, and just missed one three other times with nine rebounds twice and then nine assists in her last game on Saturday. McCutcheon has multiple three pointers in all but three games and went 6-for-8 at Frostburg State, her second time with six this season. She also is dishing out 3.6 assists per game with multiple in 13 of the last 15 games. On the season, McCutcheon is leading the team with 97 assists, she had a season-high nine last Saturday versus Fairmont State.
 
Reigning first team all-conference player Corinne Thomas is averaging 12.1 points per game over 17 outings this season after battling an early-season injury. She has scored double digits in 11 straight games and had her third 20-point outing with 23 at Frostburg State. A season-high seven three-pointers (in nine attempts) and 25 points came at W.Va. Wesleyan on January 28. Thomas has made multiple threes in 15 of her 17 games played.
 
Grace Faulk averages 11.4 points per game and makes 2.81 three-pointers per game while shooting 39.2% 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 11 of the last 14 games and scored double figures 17 times this season with two reaching the 20-point mark. She heated up late in last Saturday's Fairmont State game and finished with a 6-for-9 effort from deep, her third time this season tying a career-high in three-pointers. Faulk also racked up 13 assists over the last four games and had her fourth game with a season-high eight rebounds at Frostburg State.
 
Sonia Sarda has started each of the last nine games and has been filling up the stat sheets. She is coming off an 18-point, 8-rebound, 3-assist outing on Wednesday and was near a triple-double last Saturday versus Fairmont State with seven points, nine rebounds, and nine assists. Sarda is averaging 5.9 assists over the last 11 games and is at 3.6 assists per game on the season. Sarda tied her career-high in the overtime win over Charleston on February 4 with 25 points and is averaging 9.0 points per game. She has shown her rebounding presence with games of nine, eight twice, seven twice, and six in six of the last nine games. Sarda leads the team with 24 steals in her first season on the hilltop as a graduate transfer. She is shooting 84.4% from the free throw line, the best mark on the team.
 
Four Hilltoppers average over 30 minutes per game, including Thomas (32.4), McCutcheon (33.1), Manzay (31.9), and Faulk (30.9).
 
West Liberty is 8-4 at home this season and 2-4 on Saturday's inside the ASRC.

THE CARDINALS
Wheeling has won each of its last two games entering the matchup, a 72-63 win versus Frostburg State, then a 98-74 victory over Alderson Broaddus on the road Wednesday night.
 
The Cardinals score 71.1 points per game and allow 67.4. They are shooting 42.4% from the floor and 30.3% from beyond the arc, while holding opponents to a 38.6% field goal percentage, the second-best mark in the conference, and 31.4% three-point percentage. Wheeling ranks second in the MEC in free throw attempts per game (22.37) but is 10^th in free throw percentage (64.9%).
 
Senior forward Lauren Calhoun is scoring 18.2 points per game (3^rd in the MEC) and leads the conference pulling in 11.1 rebounds per game. She has totaled 17 double doubles this season, the second most in the MEC. Junior Shanley Woods is scoring 9.4 points per game and is pacing the team beyond the arc draining 2.00 three-pointers per game. Sophomore Shamia Strayhorn adds 9.3 points per game for the Cardinals. Freshman Kenzie Dalton is third in the conference, averaging 4.2 assists per game.
 
Wheeling is locked into the six seed at the upcoming MEC Tournament. The Cardinals have gone 5-6 in away games this season.

THE SERIES
The Hilltoppers have battled the Cardinals more than any other opponent. Entering the 101^st meeting, West Liberty holds an all-time edge of 56-43. After a season sweep in 2021-22 by the Hilltoppers, Wheeling pulled out a 74-68 win in the first meeting of 2022-23 on its home court. WLU has won the last six matchups inside the ASRC and holds a 10-1 on the home court since the 20211-12 season.
 
Earlier this season (Jan. 21 | Wheeling, W.Va): West Liberty (68) – Wheeling (74)
WLU dropped a 74-68 decision at Wheeling in a closely contested game with 11 ties and 11 lead changes. West Liberty held a two-point lead after the first quarter and led by one point at halftime. The Hilltoppers scored six straight points to take a seven-point lead early in the second half, but Wheeling responded with a 5-0 run to bring the game back to one point. The Hilltoppers were outscored 15-4 in the last five minutes of the game and the Cardinals put it away with a 10-for-12 effort from the free throw line. Wheeling broke a 68-68 tie with a layup at the one-minute mark, then shut down West Liberty on the defensive end and sealed the deal with four free throws. WLU committed 25 turnovers and got outscored 19-2 in points off turnovers, while going just 10-for-22 from the free throw line. The Hilltoppers held Wheeling to just one three pointer, while going 6-for-21 on the offensive end. Four of the six triples came in the fourth quarter. Arriana Manzay led West Liberty with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Corinne Thomas scored a season-high 13 points.
 
MEC STANDINGS
West Liberty: 5
Wheeling 6
Full Standings here.
 
The Hilltoppers have secured at least the five seed in the upcoming MEC Tournament. In order to move to #4, WLU will need a win vs. Wheeling, a loss by Fairmont State at Frostburg State, and then win the MEC tiebreak coin flip.
 
PREGAME HONORS
The Hilltoppers will honor Sonia Sarda and Arriana Manzay pregame for Senior Day. Manzay and McCutcheon will both be honored for their 1,000th career points in a pregame ceremony, as well.

NEXT UP
West Liberty will play in the MEC Tournament, which is set for March 1-5 at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling. Tickets, schedules, and more information are available at mountaineast.org.

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