Glenville, W.Va. – The West Liberty University women's basketball team dropped an 86-64 game at Glenville State on Wednesday evening inside the Waco Center as the Pioneers used an extended scoring run midway through the game to take control. After trailing 9-0 to open the game the Hilltoppers rallied back and took a 15-11 advantage, but the Pioneers used the first of two critical scoring runs to regain the lead for good. As turnovers loomed large for WLU, GSU used a 12-0 scoring run in the first and extending into the second, and a 32-6 scoring run over the course of the second and third quarters to break the game open and seize control.
 
QUICK DETAILS
Final Score: West Liberty 64, Glenville State 86
Team Records: West Liberty 8-17 (5-12 MEC), Glenville State 17-8 (10-7 MEC)
Attendance: 200
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Glenville State opened the game with a 9-0 scoring run the first 2:05 of game time before Jenna Riccardo got West Liberty on the board with a layup off an assist from Karly McCutcheon, sparking a 15-2 run to give the Hilltoppers a 15-11 lead with just over three minutes remaining in the first quarter. The Pioneers ended the first period with a 10-0 scoring run to regain the lead with a 21-15 advantage.
• A jumper by Glenville State on their opening possession of the second quarter extended their run to 12-0 before Bailee Smith knocked down a 3-pointer to end the rally. Following a set of three free throws for GSU, Smith connected on a second consecutive 3-pointer to draw WLU within five points (26-21) once again with 8:07 left in the second period. After a pair of free throws by Riccardo and a layup by Paige Julian which cut the deficit to five (32-27) with just under five minutes to play, Glenville State rallied off six unanswered point to push their lead to double digits for the first time (38-27) with 3:48 to play till the break and they extended their scoring run to 17-3 as their lead grew to 49-30 at halftime.
• With a fastbreak layup and a 3-pointer, Glenville State's run grew to 22-3 as their lead was pushed to 24 points (54-30) with 8:30 left in the third quarter. Bailey Beckstedt momentarily broke up the run with a 3-pointer off an assist from Corinne Thomas, however ten more unanswered points made the scoring run 32-6 as the Pioneers lead extended to 31 points (64-33) with 5:15 left in the period. The run ended as Riccardo scored six consecutive points and during a 10-2 scoring run to swing the momentum towards the Hilltoppers momentarily. The third quarter ended with a free throw by Smith making it a 68-44 ball game in favor of GSU.
• Riccardo opened the scoring in the fourth quarter with a layup before Glenville State went on an 11-3 scoring run with three 3-pointers to extend their lead back to 30 (79-49) with 6:02 to play. A jumper by Grace Faulk ended the scoring run and started a stretch of nine unanswered points and the run was capped at 11-2 by a Riccardo layup to trim the deficit down to 21 (81-60) with 3:31 on the clock. With a deep ball with 21 seconds to play, Thomas continued her streak of a made 3-pointer in 40 consecutive games dating back to January 14, 2023, and Riccardo ended the scoring in the game with a free throw with two seconds remaining to set a new career-high in points.
• West Liberty shot 21-of-54 (38.9%) from the field, 5-of-23 (21.7%) from 3-point range, and 17-of-23 (73.9%) from the free throw line compared to 31-of-84 (36.9%) from the field, 14-of-39 (35.9%) from 3-point range, and 10-of-13 (76.9%) from the free throw line for Glenville State.
• The Pioneers held the advantage in points in the paint (32-30), points off turnovers (43-14), second chance points (19-13), fast break points (20-9), and bench points (37-8).
• WLU continued their consistent shooting at the free throw line as they are now 70-of-84 (83.3%) from the charity stripe in their last four contests.
• Entering tonight's game, the Hilltoppers had held their opponents to 23.6 percent from beyond the arc over the last 16 games, however with 14 3-pointers the Pioneers knocked down the most shots from deep by a WLU opponent this year. It marked only the second time all season that an opponent recorded double digit 3-pointers against the Black & Gold.
• Riccardo notched her third 20-point game in the last four outings with a career-high 22 points to lead West Liberty. Joining her in double figures were Thomas (14) and Smith (12).
• Riccardo grabbed a team-high nine rebounds in the game, marking the seventh consecutive game with eight or more boards.
• Four WLU players connected on a 3-pointer in the game, led by Smith who knocked down two from beyond the arc.

WEST LIBERTY STATISTICAL LEADERS
Jenna Riccardo: 22 points, 8-of-10 free throws, 9 rebounds, 2 steals
Corinne Thomas: 14 points, 7-of-8 free throws, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Bailee Smith: 12 points, 4-of-9 field goals, 4 assists, 4 steals
 
UP NEXT
West Liberty will return home for the final time this season on Saturday (February 24) afternoon as they welcome Concord to the hilltop for senior day. The Hilltoppers and Mountain Lions are set for a 2 p.m. tip-off inside the ASRC.