West Liberty, W.Va. – In the first of two match-ups between Ohio County rivals this season, the West Liberty University women's basketball team fell in overtime by a score of 83-78 to Wheeling. The Hilltoppers and Cardinals traded the lead ten times in the contest and neither team led by more than eight points, however WU used their depth to edge WLU in the extra period.
 
QUICK DETAILS
Final Score: West Liberty 78, Wheeling 83 (OT)
Team Records: West Liberty 7-11 (4-6 MEC), Wheeling 14-4 (9-2 MEC)
Attendance: 697
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Wheeling opened the game with a 7-0 lead before Corinne Thomas got West Liberty on the board with a pair of free throws with 8:16 left in the first quarter. Midway through the period Bailee Smith and Karly McCutcheon each knocked down a 3-pointer to tie the game at ten apiece with 5:17 remaining. Less than a minute later Thomas connected on her first of four baskets from beyond the arc to give the Hilltoppers their first lead of the game (13-12). The Cardinals had a quick response with a 3-pointer of their own sparking seven unanswered points as they outscored WLU 8-4 to end the opening quarter.
• Following a jumper by Wheeling to open the second quarter, Thomas connected on a straightaway 3-pointer less than a minute in for West Liberty's first made field goal since the 4:45 mark of the opening quarter. The ensuing possession Jenna Riccardo scored off an offensive rebound to cut the deficit to two points, however the Cardinals maintained the lead and extended it to eight points (31-23) with an 8-2 scoring run. Natalija Sekulovska scored three of the Hilltoppers six unanswered points entering the halftime break as WLU cut the deficit to 33-31. The Cardinals ended the half on a scoreless stretch of 5:48 while the Hilltoppers final points came with 3:26 left to play.
• Smith tied the game at 33 less than 30 seconds in the second half and with 9:03 left in the third quarter Thomas gave West Liberty the lead back (36-35) for the first time since the opening period with her third 3-pointer of the game. Wheeling regained a four point advantage (42-38) with a 6-2 run before five unanswered points by WLU saw the lead switch hands once again on a jumper by McCutcheon (43-42) with 5:28 to play in the period. The Hilltoppers extended the scoring run to 10-1 as Thomas converted an and-one to give West Liberty their largest lead of the game (48-43) with 2:36 left in the third. The Cardinals closed the final minute of the game on an 8-0 scoring run to take a 53-50 lead into the fourth quarter.
• A layup by Thomas started the scoring in the fourth quarter and sparked a 9-2 scoring run that was capped by Riccardo with a layup, giving West Liberty the 59-55 lead with 7:10 left in regulation. While Wheeling was able to tie the game twice, the Hilltoppers maintained the lead until just under the three minute mark when the Cardinals used a 7-0 scoring run to regain the lead (68-65). WU led by as many as four in the final minutes as they led 71-67 with 32 seconds left on the clock, however a jumper by Grace Faulk and a pair of free throws by Thomas off a technical foul with only 24 seconds left in regulation tied the game at 71 and sent it into overtime.
• Plagued by foul trouble, West Liberty entered the overtime period with four players fouled out, including three starters, forcing them to lean heavily on their bench for minutes in the extra five minutes. Wheeling was able to jump out to a 75- 71 lead before Sophie Abraham knocked down a free throw to cut the deficit to three with 3:29 left on the clock. Thomas' fourth 3-pointer of the game made it a 77-75 game in favor of WU before the Cardinals ended the extra period on a 6-2 run to secure the 83-78 win. Wheeling outscored West Liberty 12-7 in the overtime period and Thomas scored six of WLU's seven points.
• West Liberty shot 23-74 (31.1%) from the field, 8-of-37 (21.6%) from 3-point range, and 24-of-32 (75.0%) from the free throw line compared to 26-of-69 (37.7%) from the field, 3-of-9 (33.3%) from 3-point range, and 28-of-39 (71.8%) from the free throw line for Wheeling.
• The Cardinals held the advantage in points in the paint (38-30), points off turnovers (16-14), and fast break points (18-17) while the Hilltoppers held the edge in second chance points (13-12). The teams were even with 11 bench points apiece.
• For the second time this season, McCutcheon and Thomas notched a double-double in the same game. McCutcheon, who scored 17 points, also grabbed a season-high of 12 rebounds for her second double-double of the year while Thomas scored a season-high of 30 points and added ten rebounds for her fourth double-double.
• Thomas scored more than 20 points for the sixth time in the last seven games and hit the mark for the tenth time this season. McCutcheon and Smith joined Thomas in double figures with 17 and 12 points respectively.
• Only three WLU players connected on a 3-pointer in the game as Thomas knocked down a game-high four shots from beyond the arc while McCutcheon each connected on two from deep. The Hilltoppers 21.6 percent from beyond the arc was a season-low mark.

WEST LIBERTY STATISTICAL LEADERS
Corinne Thomas: 30 points, 12-of-13 free throws, 10 rebounds, 1 assist
Karly McCutcheon: 17 points, 3-of-4 free throws, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, 1 steal
Bailee Smith: 12 points, 2-of-2 free throws, 3 rebounds, 3 assists
 
POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE (CORINNE THOMAS, KARLY MCCUTCHEON, AND HEAD COACH KYLE COOPER)


UP NEXT
West Liberty will take to the road for a single mid-week game on Wednesday, January 31, as they close the month at West Virginia State. The Hilltoppers will look to avenge an earlier season loss to the Yellow Jackets as they tip-off at 5:30 p.m. inside the Walker Convocation Center in Institute, West Virginia.