Concord Holds Off West Virginia State for 80-74 Win

INSTITUTE, W.Va.- The Concord University women's basketball team fended off West Virginia State, 80-74, Wednesday night in the first Mountain East Conference game for each side at the Walker Convocation Center.
 
With just 4:21 left in the game, things were deadlocked at 70-70. After a pair of free throws gave WVSU (2-4, 0-1 MEC) the lead, senior guard Kennedy Scales drilled a three-pointer, her only triple of the game, to put Concord (4-3, 1-0 MEC) in front for good.
 
Sophomore guard Kenyah Stubbs got free with a shifty move down low to give CU a three-point advantage on the next trip down the floor. Two more free throws cut the Mountain Lion lead to just one yet again.
 
However, a technical foul assessed to the home team with just 59 seconds left put senior forward Abbie Smith on the charity stripe where she knocked down both.
 
Concord fought off WVSU's inbound plays in the half court and went 3-for-4 at the foul line in the final 19 seconds of the contest.
 
To start the game, Concord was red hot from the field. Out of the gates, CU jumped out to an 11-2 lead. The lead grew to 23-12 by the end of the quarter, highlighted by senior forward Olivia Ziolkowski canning three three-pointers in the opening quarter.
 
CU maintained its double-digit lead at halftime with a 39-29 advantage.
 
The Mountain Lions had to survive a barrage from West Virginia State at the end of the third quarter. Up 16 points, 53-37—the largest lead of the game—for Concord, the Maroon and Gray watched the Yellow Jackets go on a 17-0 run. But a bucket from Smith gave Concord a 55-54 edge after three quarters.
 
The teams traded the lead seven times in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter before Scales' three-pointer.
 
Concord's offense saved their best for last, scoring a game-high 25 points in the final quarter.
 
 
Smith had a wonderful game, leading Concord with 22 points and 14 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season. Stubbs was just behind with 17 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Ziolkowski was a third Mountain Lion in double figures, dropping in 15 points and corralling six rebounds. Junior guard Alexis Frazee provided nine points off the bench. Junior guard Kiley Smich added an efficient six points, making three of her four field goal attempts.
 
Concord returns home to face Charleston in the MEC home opener at 2:00 p.m. Saturday at the Carter Center.