Institute, W.Va. – The West Liberty University women's basketball team kept the game within single digits throughout the fourth quarter on Wednesday evening, however the hot 3-point shooting was not enough to overcome West Virginia State and fell 91-80 inside the Walker Convocation Center. The Hilltoppers tied a season-high of 15 made baskets from beyond the arc and shot better than 40 percent from distance for the seventh time this season as Karly McCutcheon, Bailee Smith, and Corinne Thomas all made four or more in the game.
 
QUICK DETAILS
Final Score: West Liberty 80, West Virginia State 91
Team Records: West Liberty 7-12 (4-7 MEC), West Virginia State 11-8 (7-5 MEC)
Attendance: 512
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• After West Virginia State scored the first basket of the game less than 20 seconds into the contest, Jenna Riccardo turned an offensive rebound into a pair of second chance points to spark a run of seven unanswered points for West Liberty to take an early 7-2 lead. The Yellow Jackets responded with a 12-2 scoring run to go up 14-9 with 4:12 remaining in the first quarter. Starting with a 3-pointer from Bailey Beckstedt, the Hilltoppers knocked down four of their last five shots of the first quarter, including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc, to tie the game at 22 apiece after ten minutes of play.
• With back-to-back 3-pointers by Bailey Smith and Paige Julian, West Liberty started the second quarter with eight consecutive points and extended a scoring run to 13-2 from the opening period to build a 30-22 lead. West Virginia State had a major response of their own as they went on a 20-2 scoring run to take a 42-32 lead with 2:33 left till the break. Beckstedt ended the scoring run with a layup and Karly McCutcheon knocked down a pair of shots from beyond the arc as WLU cut the deficit to 46-40 at halftime.
• McCutcheon brought West Liberty within five points on each of her first two baskets of the third quarter, however a 13-0 run by West Virginia State gave them their largest lead of the game at 18 points (63-45) with 3:41 left in the period. Corinne Thomas stalled the Yellow Jacket run with a 3-pointer and sparked a 9-2 scoring run entering the fourth quarter, bringing the deficit down to 65-54.
• A 3-pointer by Thomas with 8:34 remaining in the game cut the deficit to ten points (70-60) before West Virginia State quickly pushed the lead back to 14 with a pair of baskets by Emyah Fortenberry. The Hilltoppers, however, would not go away as they scored six straight points, capped by a layup by McCutcheon to get within single digits (74-66) with 6:15 left on the clock. The scoring margin teetered back-and-forth between single and double digits in the closing minutes as WLU made one final push as Riccardo trimmed the deficit down to seven points twice on free throws in the final minute before WVSU ended the game with 4-of-4 free throw shooting to extend the lead to 91-80 before the buzzer sounded.
• West Liberty shot 27-of-65 (41.5%) from the field, 15-of-37 (40.5%) from 3-point range, and 11-of-14 (78.6%) from the free throw line compared to 35-of-91 (38.5%) from the field, 1-of-19 (5.3%) from 3-point range, and 20-of-23 (87.0%) from the free throw line for West Virginia State.
• The Yellow Jackets held the advantage in points in the paint (62-24), points off turnovers (38-16), second chance points (14-13), fast break points (27-15), and bench points (50-9).
• McCutcheon tied a season-high scoring output as she reached the 20-point mark for the fourth time with 23 against the Yellow Jackets. Smith and Thomas joined in double figures with 17 and 13 points respectively.
• Five WLU players connected on a 3-pointer in the game as McCutcheon knocked down a game-high five shots from beyond the arc while Smith and Thomas each connected on four from deep. The Hilltoppers tied a season-high of 15 made 3-pointers.

WEST LIBERTY STATISTICAL LEADERS
Karly McCutcheon: 23 points, 5-of-7 3-pointers, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals
Bailee Smith: 17 points, 4-of-10 3-pointers, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Corinne Thomas: 13 points, 4-of-12 3-pointers, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal
 
UP NEXT
West Liberty returns to the hilltop to host Charleston on Saturday, February 3, in their first of two straight home games. The Hilltoppers and Golden Eagles are set for a 2 p.m. tip-off inside the ASRC.