West Liberty, W.Va. – The West Liberty University women's basketball team was unable to maintain a strong start to the game and fell to Charleston 81-67 on Saturday afternoon in the ASRC. The Hilltoppers opened the game by scoring the first ten points of the contest, however periodic scoring droughts and second half scoring runs of 12-0 and 11-2 for the Golden Eagles were too much to withstand.
 
QUICK DETAILS
Final Score: West Liberty 67, Charleston 81
Team Records: West Liberty 7-13 (4-8 MEC), Charleston 12-8 (8-5 MEC)
Attendance: 477
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• West Liberty opened the game by scoring the first ten points of the game and took a 13-2 lead into the first media timeout of the game. The Hilltoppers opened the game 5-of-6 from the field and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc in the opening minutes. Out of the media timeout Charleston began to build some momentum as they went on a 10-0 scoring run and went 4-of-4 from the field, however the run was stalled by a 3-pointer from the left wing by Grace Faulk. The Golden Eagles ended the scoring in the opening period by converting an and-one to cut the Hilltoppers lead to 18-15.
• In the opening minutes of the second period West Liberty connected on three shots from beyond the arc while Charleston knocked down two before the Hilltoppers called a timeout with 5:24 to play following a layup by Jenna Riccardo that gave the Hilltoppers a 31-29 lead. The Black & Gold made 5-of-6 3-pointers during a stretch in the second period, which included a pair from Corinne Thomas and one from Riccardo. The Golden Eagles ended the second quarter by scoring the final four points to tie the game at 37-37 as the Hilltoppers were scoreless in the final 3:57 of game time.
• Karly McCutcheon opened the scoring in the second half with her third 3-pointer of the game to give West Liberty the 40-37 lead. The teams continued to trade baskets and the Golden Eagles began to build momentum as they scored on a layup to take a 49-47 lead entering the media timeout with 4:58 left in the period. The layup was a part of an 12-0 scoring run as UC held WLU scoreless for nearly four minutes before Natalija Sekulovska connected on a 3-pointer from the right corner to stall the run. The teams were scoreless for the final two minutes of the quarter as UC led 57-50 entering the fourth.
• West Liberty and Charleston scored on each of the first five possessions of the fourth quarter. A few minutes later Thomas and McCutcheon each got fouled on drives to the basket and connected on pairs of free throws to cut the deficit to 65-60 with 7:38 left to play. Paige Julian continued the run of six consecutive points as she drove through the lane to the hoop to make it 65-62 with 7:09 left. An 11-2 scoring run for Charleston extended their lead to double digits (76-64) and they later pushed it to 14 with 1:56 remaining as they converted an and-one.
• West Liberty shot 23-of-53 (43.4%) from the field, 13-of-31 (41.9%) from 3-point range, and 8-of-11 (72.7%) from the free throw line compared to 33-of-66 (50.0%) from the field, 3-of-14 (21.4%) from 3-point range, and 12-of-17 (70.6%) from the free throw line for Charleston.
• The Golden Eagles held the advantage in points off turnovers (28-12), points in the paint (58-20), second chance points (14-4), fast break points (10-6), and bench points (34-17).
• McCutcheon and Thomas were the lone Hilltoppers to reach double figures in scoring with 19 and 12 points in the contest. Thomas has reached double figures in all 20 games this year while McCutcheon has 15 times.
• Seven WLU players connected on a 3-pointer in the game, led by McCutcheon and Thomas with three apiece from beyond the arc. Thomas has connected on three or more in 16 games while McCutcheon has nine times.
• In the game Thomas became just the second player in program history to record 1,000+ points, 400+ rebounds, 250+ 3-pointers, 200+ assists, and 100+ steals in her career.

 
WEST LIBERTY STATISTICAL LEADERS
Karly McCutcheon: 19 points, 3 3-pointers, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks
Corinne Thomas: 12 points, 3 3-pointers, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist

POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE (KARLY MCCUTCHEON AND HEAD COACH KYLE COOPER)

 
UP NEXT
West Liberty closes out a stretch of five home games in a six game span on Wednesday, February 7, when they host Davis & Elkins. The Hilltoppers and Senators are set for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off inside the ASRC.