Box Score
ATHENS, W.Va. – Senior center
Sammi Webster recorded her first career double-double and junior guard
Sissy Wagner scored 20 points to lead the Concord University women's basketball team past West Virginia State, 76-67, in Mountain East Conference play Saturday afternoon at the Carter Center.
With Saturday's win, the Mountain Lions improved their record to 7-6 overall and 5-5 in MEC play on the season while WVSU fell to 11-4 overall and 7-3 in league play. Concord now owns a three-game winning streak for the first time since the end of the 2011-2012 season when it won nine games in a row between Feb. 6-29.
Webster set a career-high with 12 rebounds to go along with 13 points while also blocking three shots and passing out four assists against the Yellow Jackets. Webster, who was just one point off of her career-high, shot 66.7 percent (6-of-9) from the field to raise her season shooting percentage to 62.2 percent on the year, the third-highest in the MEC.
Wagner, who is eighth in the nation in assists per game, just missed her own double-double after registering seven assists to go with her fourth 20-point game of the year. For the game, Wagner was 7-for-10 from the field, 3-for-5 from three-point range and 3-for-4 from the foul line.
Neither team could gain control of the game in the first half as the lead changed hands five times before CU opened up a period-best lead of five-points with 1:09 left to play until halftime. However, West Virginia State used two free throws and a layup over the final minute, to pull to within one point of Concord at 31-30 heading into intermission.
The game continued to be a back-and-forth contest through the opening 10 minutes of the second half until the Mountain Lions went on a 10-0 run to open up a 58-48 lead with 9:08 remaining in the game. The run was fueled by Wagner, who scored eight of her 20 points during the spurt. 12 of Wagner's points came during the last 9:55 of the game.
WVSU would get no closer than seven points for the remainder of the contest as Concord kept a comfortable lead throughout the final minutes on its way to the nine-point triumph.
Junior
Andrea Bertrand added 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting (85.7 percent) while also collecting five rebounds, passing out five assists and coming away with three steals. Offensively, it was the highest percentage Bertrand has shot this season and the second highest of her career when attempting at least five shots from the field.
Joining Webster, Wagner and Bertrand in double figures was junior guard
Rachel Artrip, who matched Bertrand with 15 points of her own in addition to grabbing five rebounds, three of which came on the offensive end.
Junior forward
Jacqueline Kestner chipped in eight points and matched a career-best with a game-high four steals. Junior guard
Melea Smith tied a personal-best with five rebounds to go along with three points.
For the game, Concord owned advantages in points off turnovers (32-17), defensive rebounds (22-20) and turnovers forced (17-12). CU shot exactly 50 percent from the field (28-of-56) and 35.7 percent from three-point range (5-of-14).
West Virginia State was led by Lexy Carson who scored 18 point and pulled down eight rebounds.
The Mountain Lions will take their winning streak on the road when they travel to Bluefield State Monday night at 5:30 p.m.
