ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University women's basketball team used a 19-2 run over the final six minutes of the second quarter to pull in front of West Liberty on its way to an 83-71 win Wednesday night in Mountain East Conference action at the Carter Center.
WLU (6-7, 2-5 MEC) scored 13 of the first 18 points of the second quarter to take a 29-21 lead on the Mountain Lions (9-3, 6-1 MEC). After a three-pointer from West Liberty's Audrey Tingle pushed the Hilltoppers to their biggest lead of the game, Concord created 11 empty trips for WLU in 12 possessions down the floor.
The only points for West Liberty came at the foul line as CU held its opposition to 0-for-10 and two turnovers in the final six minutes of the first half. Offensively, the run was aided by senior forward
Madison May who scored the first nine points of the spurt while junior forward
Riley Fitzwater and sophomore guard
Maggie Guynn combined for the next 10 points.
At halftime, Concord led 40-31.
The Mountain Lions held off West Liberty in the third quarter, and was able to extend the lead to a game-best 16 points, 61-45, at the 9:22 mark of the fourth quarter after a layup from junior forward
Tamra Scott.
However, WLU did not go away quietly. The Hilltoppers cut into Concord's lead, eventually whittling it down to five points, 69-64, with 3:48 left.
On the ensuing CU possession, sophomore guard
Gracie Robinson hit a 10-foot, baseline jumper before freshman guard
Jazz Blankenship got a layup off a backdoor cut on the following trip to push the lead back to nine.
May dropped in 32 points for her third 30-point game of the season while adding her seventh double-double, grabbing 13 rebounds. May's most impressive feat of the night came at the free-throw line where she was a perfect 16-for-16 including eight foul shots in the final 1:06 of the contest to close out West Liberty. May's showing at the foul line is the most free throws made in a Division II game this season without a miss.
Fitzwater matched May's double-double with 22 points and 14 rebounds, including a first-half double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Scott added eight points in 11 minutes of the bench while Robinson did a little bit of everything with seven points, five assists and two steals. Guynn netted nine points.
CU shot 50 percent (28-for-56) from the field while holding West Liberty to 38.3 percent (23-for-60). Concord had a 40-21 advantage in rebounds.
The Mountain Lions travel to Wheeling 2:00 p.m. Saturday for an MEC game.
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