WLU’s Brown Makes History
Becomes first MEC woman to pass 1,500 points in less than 3 seasons
SHEPHERDSTOWN -- Marissa Brown scored her 1,500th career point and the West Liberty University women's basketball team rolled to its third straight win here Wednesday, breezing past Shepherd, 79-61, in Mountain East Conference action at the Butcher Center.
The win capped a season sweep for Coach Kyle Cooper's Hilltoppers (12-7, 9-4), who had routed the Rams (10-9, 7-6) by a 96-72 count in a December meeting.
West Liberty opened the game on a 19-6 run only to see Shepherd score the final 14 points of the opening frame to take its only lead of the game, 20-19, heading into the second quarter.
The Hilltoppers regained their shooting touch to open up a 37-29 halftime lead and exploded for 25 points in the third quarter to put the game out of reach, 62-44, at the start of the fourth quarter.
West Liberty led by as many as 24 points, 79-55, down the stretch in snapping the Rams' five-game winning streak.
The 6-foot-3 Brown battled through foul trouble along with an assortment of double- and triple-teams to become the first Mountain East Conference woman to pass the 1,500-point milestone in less than three seasons.
Brown finished with eight points, eight rebounds, three assists and a pair of blocks in 22 minutes of action, putting her at 1,505 points and 719 rebounds for her career.
Both totals rank No. 8 on the Hilltoppers' all-time leaderboard.
Taylor Johnson paced a balanced attack for the Hilltoppers, pouring in 25 points and handing out a team-high five assists while shooting 5 of 6 from the 3-point arc.
Morgan Brunner made 4 of her 5 3-point tries and finished with 17 points off the bench while Audrey Tingle went 3-for-4 from the 3-point line and scored a dozen points. Brandi Beader rounded out the double-figure scorers with 11 tallies.
Sydney Clayton and Kayla Tibbs led the way for Shepherd with 18 and 14 points, respectively.
The WLU women return home on Saturday to host Fairmont State in the first game of the NCAA Division II Basketball Showcase. Tipoff is set for 1:35 p.m. at the ASRC.
MEN
West Liberty 84, Shepherd 76
SHEPHERDSTOWN -- Dalton Bolon scored 20 of his game-high 23 points in the second half to lead No. 8-ranked West Liberty past upset-minded Shepherd, in Mountain East Conference action at the Butcher Center.
It was the ninth straight win and the 16th in the last 17 games for Coach Ben Howlett's Hilltoppers (16-2, 12-1) as they posted their 26th consecutive win against the Rams (10-9, 6-7), who had dropped a 96-94 decision to them in early December at the ASRC.
The first half ended in a 35-35 deadlock as WLU shot a dismal 32 percent (12 of 37) from the floor while Shepherd went 7 of 14 from the 3-point arc to keep things close.
West Liberty took the lead for good, 54-51, with 13:32 remaining on a Bolon 3-pointer and the lead reached nine points on several occasions down the stretch.
The Hilltoppers appeared on the verge of icing the contest when Bolon finished off a conventional 3-point play for a 78-69 lead with just 3:06 to play but the Rams refused to fold.
Two Winston Burgess free throws cut the margin to 78-76 with 21 seconds remaining but WLU's Luke Dyer swished a pair of free throws to make it a two-possession game.
Dyer then blocked a 3-point attempt by Thomas Lang at the other end of the court and Bolon knocked down four more free throws in the final 10 seconds to seal the deal.
Bolon pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds to go along with his 23 points while Yahel Hill and Marlon Moore chipped in with 14 and 12 points, respectively. Senior pivot Eric Meininger just missed a double-double with nine points and eight rebounds.
Derek McKnight paced four double-figure scorers for the hosts with 18 points to go along with a game-high five assists.
West Liberty returns home to host Fairmont State on Saturday in a battle for sole possession of first place in the MEC.
The game will be nationally televised as part of the NCAA Division II Basketball Showcase with tipoff set for 4:05 p.m. at the ASRC.
Fairmont State 88, Wheeling Jesuit 64
FAIRMONT -- The Wheeling Jesuit men's basketball team was defeated at Fairmont State in a Mountain East Conference (MEC) game at Joe Retton Arena.
The loss sends the Cardinals to 1-12 in the MEC, 2-17 overall. Meanwhile, the Falcons improve to 15-5 this season, 12-1 in conference play.
Freshman DeAndre Robinson led the Cardinals with 17 points and six rebounds. Freshman guard Jay Gentry added 12 points, while fellow freshman guard Steve Cannady added 10 points in the loss.
Both teams traded baskets through the first eight minutes of the game, before a 3-pointer by freshman Emmanual Ansong gave the Cardinals a 19-16 lead with 11:18 left in the first half.
Fairmont State responded with an 11-3 run to take a 30-21 lead five minutes later, before WJU answered back with a 11-2 spurt of its own to knot the game back up at 32-32 with 3:42 remaining until halftime. The runs continued as the Falcons opened up an eight-point lead at the half by closing the period out on a 10-2 run to take a 42-34 lead into the break.
Fairmont State extended its lead to 52-39 in the opening three minutes of the second half. Wheeling Jesuit followed with its best stretch of the game when it went on a 15-4 run to draw within two, 56-54, with 10:47 left in the game.
The Cardinals shot 6 of 10 during the run and limited the Falcons to 2 of 9 from the field. Fairmont State did not allow WJU to get any closer and went on to out-score the Cardinals 32-10 down the stretch to take command of the game and close out the win.
The Cardinals will return home on Saturday when they welcome Shepherd to the McDonough Center for a MEC game at 4 p.m.
WOMEN
Fairmont State 84, Wheeling Jesuit 56
FAIRMONT -- The Wheeling Jesuit women's basketball team was handed a loss at Fairmont State in a Mountain East Conference contest.
The loss sends the Cardinals to 1-12 in the MEC, 3-16 overall. Meanwhile, the Falcons improve to 8-11 overall, 5-8 in league play.
Senior forward Chenelle Moore posted her 13th double-double of the season with 19 points and 13 rebounds, while junior forward Lauren Lipscomb added 11 points in the loss.
Fairmont State established a 21-6 lead after the first quarter, before the Cardinals closed the gap by out-scoring the Falcons 20-14 in the second period to draw within single-digits at 35-26 entering halftime.
Wheeling Jesuit trailed 32-17 with 4:10 left in the second quarter when they ended the half with a 9-3 spurt that was carried by seven free throws.
The Cardinals return home on Saturday when they welcome Shepherd for a conference game at 2 p.m.