ATHENS, W.Va- The Concord University women's basketball team withstood a late run to defeat West Virginia Wesleyan 73-70 on Saturday afternoon at the Carter Center.
Concord improves to 3-4 on the season (2-2 MEC), while West Virginia Wesleyan falls to 1-5 overall and 0-4 in MEC play.
Concord and Wesleyan exchanged blows throughout the first quarter, with freshman guard
Emily Boothe tying the score at 14-14 by hitting a jumper as time expired in the first period. Concord then began to pull away in the second quarter after sophomore guard
Danielle Catron hit a jumper with four seconds left to give CU a 30-23 lead into halftime.
During the third quarter, Concord began to assert itself, with senior forward
Kylie Molisee capping off an 11-1 run to begin the second half with a layup. After the run, Concord led 41-24 with 6:12 left in the quarter.
Concord seemed to be in control of the game after two Catron free throws gave Concord a 16 point lead at 63-47 with just 3:53 left to play.
However, West Virginia Wesleyan made three consecutive three-pointers over the next minute to cut Concord's lead to 63-56 with 2:59 left to play. Molisee added two free throws and a layup to give Concord a nine point cushion at 65-56 with 2:38 left to play. Wesleyan got within 69-65 after Kambrie Bosley hit another three-pointer.
Molisee hit three of her next four free throws to extend Concord's lead to 73-67 with 20 seconds left.
However, Brooke Richard answered with a three pointer for the Bobcats to pull them within 73-70 with 15 seconds remaining. West Virginia Wesleyan missed a three pointer at the buzzer as CU hung on for a three-point win.
Concord was led by the play of Molisee, who accumulated 24 points and 11 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. Catron and Boothe each scored in double figures for the Mountain Lions, Catron with 15 points and Boothe notching a career-high 12 points. Sophomore guard
Marta Moix contributed a career-tying eight points, three assists, and a steal in the win. Freshman forward
Courtney White also added a season-high five points and grabbed five rebounds for the Mountain Lions, including four offensive rebounds in the game.
Concord next travels to Radford on Saturday, December 12 for an exhibition. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
