Women’s

FROSTBURG STATE 78, Point Park 68: Seventh-seeded Frostburg State used an impressive 26-0 run over the final three minutes of the second quarter and the first 3:30 of the third period to wipe out a six-point deficit and roll to a victory over 10th-seeded Point Park in the opening round of the annual Mountain East Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament at WesBanco Arena.

The win improved Frostburg to 15-14 overall and puts the Bobcats in Thursday’s quarterfinals against second-seeded West Virginia Wesleyan (18-6) at noon.

Point Park finished its season at 8-19.

Trailing 31-25 with 3:45 to play in the second quarter, the Bobcats went to work. Led by Sophie Nichols and Laekyn Flynn, Frostburg closed the first half with a 14-0 spurt to take a 39-31 lead into the locker room.

Nichols finished the game with 16 points, while Flynn added 10. Together they combined for 10 of the Bobcats’ 14 points on the game-changing second-quarter burst.

“I remember thinking on the court that we needed to keep doing the little things like get every loose ball and every rebound,” said Frostburg forward Jenna Muha, who finished with 10 rebounds and 16 points, 14 of which came in the first two quarters. “Our game plan was to go after everything hard and saying that at that point settled us down and got us refocused. Once we did that we put our foot on the gas and didn’t stop.”

In the third quarter the Bobcats’ Julie Spinelli drained a 3-pointer on her team’s first possession to ignite a 12-0 run which pushed Frostburg’s lead to 20 at 51-31. Spinelli, who shook off an early ankle injury in the game, scored seven of her team’s 12 points during that span.

“We’re a team that never gives up whether we’re up by nine or down by nine,” said Spinelli, who scored 15 points, 13 of which came in the final two quarters. “We give it our all no matter what. We don’t take any team lightly. At that point it was like Jenna said it was foot on the gas and keep going. This is the playoffs, the tournament and we knew we had to keep going.”

WEST LIBERTY 78, West Virginia State 72: It certainly wasn’t easy, but for the first time since 2022 West Liberty’s women’s basketball team garnered a victory in the annual Mountain East Conference Tournament.

The ninth-seeded Hilltoppers held off a furious fourth-quarter rally by eighth-seeded West Virginia State to record a hard-fought 78-72 win.

The victory improved West Liberty to 11-18 on the year and puts the Hilltoppers in Thursday’s quarterfinals against top-seeded Glenville State at 6 p.m.

“It was a really hard-fought win,” West Liberty coach Kyle Cooper said. “You really have to give West Virginia State credit. I thought we kept getting control of the game at multiple times and they just kept coming back at us. Hats off to the fight they showed. They’re a physical team, a tough out and they’re talented.

“Flipping to us, I thought we showed tremendous resilience when they kept coming at us. The reality of it is there’s been times this year when we haven’t shown that resilience. So for us, it’s an opportunity with a new season starting with the tournament to step up and show just what we’re capable of. I’m really proud of our group. People really don’t understand the adversity this team has faced this season.”

Thirty minutes into Wednesday’s contest West Liberty appeared in control leading State by 13 with 10 minutes to play. The Yellow Jackets, however, had other plans. State opened the final quarter with a quick 10-0 run in a span of just 2:18 to close the Hilltoppers’ lead to a mere three points at 56-53.

On this day, though, West Liberty had the answers and those answers in the fourth quarter were mostly in the form of free throws. The Yellow Jackets put West Liberty at the foul line 26 times in the game’s final 7:20 and the Hilltoppers made good on 18 of those 26 chances to help keep State at bay. West Liberty only made two field goals in the final quarter.

The catalyst for the Hilltoppers in the fourth quarter was senior guard Anna Lucarelli who scored 10 of the her team’s final 22 points, including an 8-of-10 showing at the line in the fourth quarter. Lucarelli finished with 20 points and eight rebounds.

“It’s a great feeling knowing I’m confident going to the line in those situations,” Lucarelli said. “I struggled a little bit at the line earlier in the season so I just went back to the basics. We have a little shooting court in our backyard at home and just visualizing myself out there with my mom or dad rebounding for me helps. It’s something I’ve done since I was old enough to touch a basketball. Having that mindset there’s no pressure. It’s just muscle memory and confidence.”

The loss marks the first time since 2021 that West Virginia State has not made it to the tournament quarterfinals.

Men’s

FROSTBURG STATE 93, West Virginia State 85: MEC Player of the Year Trey Simmons helped Frostburg State earn its first tournament victory with a win over West Virginia State at WesBanco Arena.

Frostburg State, the seven seed, improves to 15-14 on the year, while West Virginia State’s season ends with a record of 8-21.  The Bobcats will return to action on Friday at noon when they take on the second-seeded Falcons of Fairmont State at WesBanco Arena.

Simmons, who scored a game-high 36 points (the seventh most points in a game in MEC tournament history) was part of trio that included Kyle Whippen (25) and DJ Daniel (20) that accounted for 81 points on the night.

“I thought we started out slow, then had a nice run through the middle part of the first half,” remarked Frostburg State head coach Zach Thomsen.  

The Bobcats opened the scoring with a three-point field goal from Simmons, before a 10-3 run by the Hornets gave them a 10-6 advantage with 16:04 remaining in the first half.

From that point, Frostburg State went on a 36-14 run over the next 12:02 to give FSU a 42-24 lead with 4:13 remaining in the first half.  The run to open their largest lead of the night at 18 points included individual runs of 14-0 and 14-4.

“I am proud of our guys for battling back,” said West Virginia State Head Coach Bryan Poore. “Frostburg got going in the first half, and it looked bleak, but our guys stuck with it and battled back to give us a chance down the stretch.”

DAVIS & ELKINS 75, Point Park 73: Davis & Elkins advanced to the quarterfinals of the Mountain East tournament on Vegas Evans’ turnaround jump shot with 27 seconds remaining to give the Senators a victory over Point Park.

The final game of the opening night of the Mountain East Conference Tournament presented by The Health plan came down to the wire in a contest that had 15 lead changes and 13 ties, with neither team leading by more than eight points.

With the victory, Davis & Elkins improves to 10-19 on the season and will advance to face the top-seeded West Liberty Hilltoppers on Friday at 6 p.m. at WesBanco Arena.

 “I thought it was a gritty victory,” said D&E head coach Daniel Harris. “I thought our guys stayed the course, especially with them starting out hot and getting up early. I am proud of this group. If you look at our season, we had a lot of games like that which didn’t go our way. It was a team effort. I am happy, and we are going to celebrate tonight and then get ready for [West Liberty on] Friday.”

The Senators had four players score in double digits, led by Dontrell Jenkins’ 19 points.  He was joined in double-figures by Matthew Gray (17), Vegas Evans (12), and Nnadozie Okoroji (11).  Malachi Hampton was key on the boards, leading all players with 13 rebounds.  Point Park was led by Aiden Anderson, who notched his sixth double-double of the season with 27 points and 12 rebounds.

Davis & Elkins finished the game shooting 45 percent from the field, hitting on 29-of-64 attempts and 41 percent from deep to make up for a difference of 12 fewer free throws than Point Park.  The Pioneers shot well for most of the night, but only connected one of their final nine shots, allowing D&E to come-from-behind late to win a game that the Pioneers led for over 24 minutes.

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Bob Bolen, a West Virginia native & former head basketball coach at Mountain State University, will return to the sidelines for the first time since 2015. Bolen replaces Justin Caldwell as the new Pioneers men’s head basketball coach.

Bob joins the latest edition of MEC This Week to discuss why he is getting back into coaching, recruiting, and more.

You can subscribe to MEC This Week wherever you find your podcasts, including on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

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The list of past Furfari Award winners is very impressive to say the least.

West Liberty University men’s basketball coach Ben Howlett thought the same thing when he was informed that he is the latest honoree.

“Very humbling. Very humbling,” Howlett admitted of the honor as state College Coach of the Year. “I’m familiar with the other coaches in the state and the success of their programs. To be nominated and then voted the winner is very humbling and I’m very appreciative of it.”

Named for the longtime state sports writer Mickey Furfari, a Morgantown native who spent 70 years covering West Virginia University athletics, the honor was started in 1942 by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.

Howlett finished ahead of Glenville State women’s basketball coach Kim Stephens, last year’s winner; Marshall University men’s basketball coach Dan D’Antoni; and Shepherd football coach Ernie McCook in the voting by members of the W.Va. Sports Writers Association.

Howlett will be recognized at the nation’s oldest statewide sports fete, the 76th annual Victory Awards Dinner, on May 7 at the Embassy Suites in Charleston.

“Just the list of those individual coaches and past winners is impressive,” Howlett noted. “I’ve been a fan of some of those coaches, so be to be added to that list is an honor and a privilege.”

Howlett, a former standout guard for the Hilltoppers, guided the Black-and-Gold to the NCAA Division II national championship game this past season, his sixth as head coach at his alma mater.

The high-scoring Hilltoppers fell to unbeaten Nova Southeastern in the national title tilt in Evansville, Ind., after winning the Mountain East Conference regular season and tournament titles plus the Division II regional crown. Nova Southeastern was coached by former West Liberty coach Jim Crutchfield, who won the Furfari Award from 2011-14.

“I never thought the season would go as well as it did. I remember sitting in the locker room after we lost a regular season game to Wheeling University at their place, and I did not feel good about our team,” Howlett admitted. “We didn’t lose again until the national championship game. I don’t know how many wins that was in a row, but we reeled off quite a few.

“I thought the guys really bought into each other and believed in themselves,” he added. “They played some high-level basketball and we were one win away from being national champions.”

Howlett, a Marietta, Ohio, native, became the fifth West Liberty coach to receive the Furfari Award. In addition to Crutchfield, former women’s basketball coach Lynn Ullom, the current WLU athletic director, was honored in 2001; men’s basketball coach Ollie Olson in 1961 and football coach Joe Bartell received the award in 1957.

Howlett said he was very appreciative of the 14 players on the team and especially proud of his three assistant coaches. “They don’t get the publicity they deserve,” he said of Michael Lamberti, Aaron Huffman and Connor Hart. “They work day and night.”

Some previous winners include: Randy Mazey (WVU baseball, 2020); Nikki Izzo-Brown (WVU women’s soccer, 2017); Bob Huggins (WVU men’s basketball, four times); Bob Pruett (Marshall football, 1997-2000); and Joe Retton (Fairmont State men’s basketball, five times).

A list of all previous W.Va. Sports Writers Association awards may be found at wvswa.org.

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After battling back from a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to pull within two in the late stages of Wednesday’s semifinal against top seed Ashland, No. 5 Glenville State came up short, falling to the Eagles, 76-67, at St. Joseph Civic Arena in St. Joseph, Mo.

Glenville State (33-3) led for much of the opening quarter, but Ashland (36-0) held the Pioneers scoreless for the last 2:33 of the quarter to go in front, 17-14.

Starting with a three-pointer from Hallie Heidemann, the Eagles went on to dominate the second frame. Another triple from Maddie Maloney made the margin nine, and Ashland mostly continued to expand on it in what became a 41-27 halftime lead.

Hayley Smith’s layup 3:30 into the second half left Ashland with a 49-30 lead, though the Pioneers didn’t go away quietly. Kamiyah Lyons scored twice in 38 seconds, the latter of which left Glenville facing a 51-38 deficit.

Six points from Pioneers’ standout guard Bre Campbell over the final minute of the third enabled Glenville to cut its deficit to 53-44 ahead of the fourth.

Annie Roshak’s layup with 7:45 remaining gave Ashland a 62-49 lead, but the Eagles didn’t score again for more than 4 minutes. During that time, Campbell scored seven points and teammate Mickayla Perdue added a bucket, allowing the Pioneers to trail by four with inside 4 minutes left.

A three from Hya Haywood enabled Glenville to trail 64-61, and Perdue’s bucket with 2:42 left brought the Pioneers to within 65-63.

But Savaya Brockington scored in response, and after an empty Pioneers’ possession, Roshak converted from close range with 1:57 left.

Glenville got no closer than five the rest of the way and was eliminated one game short of the national final, which will feature the Eagles against Minnesota Duluth.

Despite being held to 7-for-21 shooting, Campbell scored 23 points to go with her eight rebounds.

Perdue scored 20 points in defeat.

Despite turning it over 26 times, Ashland shot nearly 50 percent (31 for 63), made 26-of-49 two-point field-goal attempts and held a 52-32 rebounding advantage.

Roshak totaled 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Smith added 15 points and 16 boards to key the Eagles’ domination on the glass.

Brockington scored 16 and Heidemann scored 14 to go with eight rebounds, while accounting for three of her team’s five threes.

Glenville is 68-4 over the last two seasons.

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“We played well and shared the basketball really well,” Hilltoppers’ head coach Ben Howlett said Tuesday night as a guest on MetroNews’ CityNet Statewide Sportsline. “We had 28 assists and from a defensive standpoint, we really locked down and took them out of what they wanted to do.”

The win allows West Liberty (32-3) to advance to a semifinal at 2 p.m. Thursday against No. 3 Black Hills State. That contest will air on CBS Sports Network.

The Hilltoppers were again proficient from the perimeter and made 16-of-36 three-pointers against New Haven. West Liberty was also quite disruptive defensively in forcing 26 turnovers and limiting the Chargers to 49 field-goal attempts as a result.

“All those were off the catch, which is important to us,” Howlett said of the 16 triples. “We don’t recruit guys that can do it off the dribble. We recruit that guys catch it and let it go.” 

Nine different Hilltoppers scored at least six points, while Zach Rasile led four WLU double-figure scorers with 14 points. He was followed by two-time Mountain East Conference Player of the Year Bryce Butler (13), Christian Montague (11) and Finley Woodward (10).

Montague hits the triple. Extends the Hilltopper lead to 9 #GoWLU https://t.co/sbVTVxPoPx pic.twitter.com/EjHYewmAD8

— West Liberty Hoops (@WLU_Hoops) March 21, 2023

The Hilltoppers made 20-of-34 two-point field-goal attempts and shot better than 51 percent in all.

Before Tuesday, New Haven (23-11) had not allowed more than 80 points in a game this season and had surrendered 60 or less in each of its three NCAA Tournament victories.

“It was a tough matchup for them, just because they were only playing seven guys,” Howlett said. “We feel comfortable going twelve deep and we wore them out. The game plan was to put all kinds of pressure on them defensively.”

Quashawn Lane and Kendall McMillan led the Chargers with 12 points apiece and Tyrone Perry added 11 in defeat.

The Hilltoppers led 24-4 midway through the first half and 45-21 after the first 20 minutes.

“Midway through the first half, I watched them go to the media timeout and they all walked to the huddle,” Howlett said of New Haven. “There was no jogging. It was a slow-paced walk, and I felt like at that point, we had them.”

It marked West Liberty’s seventh trip to the Elite Eight over the last 13 seasons.

With Glenville State’s women’s team, the defending National Champion, having won Monday night, both the men’s and women’s MEC champion will play in the Final Four.

WEST LIBERTY THROWS UP 16 THREES TO MOVE ON@WLU_Hoops takes down @UNewHavenMBB 9⃣5⃣-5⃣8⃣ to cruise into the final four!#MakeItYours | #MEliteEight pic.twitter.com/2yWTMgM7HW

— NCAA Division II (@NCAADII) March 21, 2023

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In Monday’s national quarterfinal with No. 4 Tampa, that was exactly the case.

The No. 5 Pioneers outscored the Spartans by eight points in the fourth quarter and pulled away for a 78-68 victory at St. Joseph Civic Arena in St. Joseph, Mo.

With the win, Glenville State (33-2) moves on to face No. 1 Ashland in a semifinal Wednesday. A victory would send the defending national champion Pioneers to the national final for a second straight season despite losing almost all of its production off last year’s team.

Tampa (33-2) led 57-54 with inside 9 minutes remaining before a three-pointer from Aline Fevrier pulled the Pioneers even.

Following a three-pointer from former Wyoming East standout Skylar Davidson with 7:12 remaining, Glenville led 61-59, and it would never trail again.

After a Melijah Sullivan layup with 5:30 left allowed Tampa to trail 65-63, the Spartans were held scoreless four more than 4 minutes.

During that time, the Pioneers seized complete control of the contest starting with Kamiyah Lyons’ layup.

The Pioneers upped their lead to six with 3:13 remaining courtesy of a Breanna Campbell jumper, and the margin went to eight 33 seconds later on two free throws from Hya Haywood.

Haywood scored with 1:54 left for a 10-point lead, and two free throws from Mickayla Perdue 28 seconds later left Tampa facing a 75-63 deficit. 

Audrey Ramsey’s three with 1:18 to play brought an end to the Trojans’ drought, but it was too little, too late.

The Pioneers got off to a sluggish start and trailed 19-13 after the first quarter, but they were to within a point at halftime as Tampa’s lead was trimmed to 35-34 through two quarters.

Campbell led all players with 28 points and added nine rebounds.

Haywood scored 18 and Perdue 10, while nine Pioneers got into the scoring column.

Three Tampa players had at least six turnovers and the Trojans finished with 26.

Sullivan scored 23 points and made 11-of-13 shots, Sydney Kin added 20 points and 14 rebounds and Sarah Jones scored 15 to go with three steals in defeat.

The other national semifinal will feature No. 2 Minnesota Duluth vs. No. 6 Catawba. 

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The Pioneers, however, will play in a national quarterfinal for a second straight season after romping their way to a third convincing NCAA Tournament win, 88-63, over West Chester on Monday night at the Waco Center.

Glenville State (32-2) scored at least 24 points in each of the first three quarters and led by 23 at halftime and 28 entering the fourth.

GSU began its season with a 104-78 victory over West Chester and had its way in the rematch for an Atlantic Region crown.

Four Pioneers tallied double-figure scoring, including Breanna Campbell’s 24 points to go with her 10 rebounds and six assists. Mickayla Perdue added 13 points. Hya Haywood recorded 12 points, and Tor’e Alford posted 12 off the bench.

Campbell was named All-Region after averaging 23 points, nine rebounds, and six assists in the three regional games at Glenville State.

“I am surprised with how it went, but I am happy with it,” said seventh-year Glenville State head coach Kim Stephens. “West Chester is a great team, and they have phenomenal coaches. We have been battling with them since I first started coaching. They are a great team with great players. Leah Johnson is incredible. She had a great career and game, and we did not have an answer for her.”

The Pioneers have won each of their first three postseason games by at least 24 points and a total of 80.

Questions surrounded the Pioneers entering this season after losing 93 percent of their scoring from last year’s team. 

“Unbelievable that we have gotten here with this group,” Stephens noted. “I do not think it has set in with them on what they have accomplished and how rare it is. I am extremely proud of them. It shows we recruited great kids — not only athletic and talented basketball players, but ones that wanted to win a championship.

“People do not come here for the big town atmosphere. They come here to win championships. We brought in players with hunger and a desire to win, and they would do whatever it took. I hope they realize that all the work they put in early on is paying off.”

The Pioneers scored the first five points before the Golden Rams (24-9) settled in.

After a layup by WCU’s Emily McAteer gave the visitors a 13-10 advantage, Glenville regained the lead with three consecutive three-pointers, including two from Alford. GSU led 19-13 with 2:25 remaining in the opening quarter..

Campbell’s layup 2 seconds before time expired in the opening period allowed the Pioneers to lead, 24-19.

“I enjoy playing basketball, so I try to make basketball plays all the time when I get in the game,” Campbell said. “If it is passing or getting down there with the big girls, I enjoy doing that.”

The Pioneers continued their hot shooting to open the second quarter and led 39-25 before rattling off six straight points on a Chalon Miles triple, one free throw Campbell and Haywood’s fast break layup.

West Chester got back-to-back buckets from Johnson and McAteer to trail by 16 on a night when Johnson led all scorers with 26 points and McAteer added 14.

However, GSU got another Haywood basket from close range to go with five straight points from Aline Fevrier, who made a three and two free throws to give the home team a decisive 52-29 halftime advantage.

Ten of Glenville State’s 17 field goals in the first half were triples. The Pioneers shot 43 percent from long distance in the first 20 minutes.

“It was big because I knew at halftime we were not going to keep shooting like that,” Stephens noted. “I knew we had to keep our foot on the gas pedal defensively and with the rebounds. We usually shoot better in the second half than in the first.”

West Chester scored the opening basket of the second half, but got no closer than 21 over the final two quarters as Glenville maintained its comfortable lead.

Campbell’s trey with 6:29 left in the third gave the Pioneers their first 30-point advantage at 68-38 as part of a 9-0 spurt.

Glenville State awaits its seed for the quarterfinal round, which will be played March 20 at the St. Joseph Civic Arena in Missouri. 

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The Hilltoppers have won three of the last four MEC title games, including two straight. West Liberty also now holds a 2-1 series lead against Fairmont State after dropping the first matchup between the two teams by 25 points on January 14.

“I came here this morning for our 10 a.m. shootaround, and we stretch above before we shoot,” said West Liberty head coach Ben Howlett. “These guys weren’t saying a word to each other. They are normally goofing around while stretching. They were locked in from the morning on.

“[Fairmont State] is a great team. They will play next week, and it would not surprise me to see them win a few NCAA [Atlantic] Regional tournament games.”

West Liberty earned the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic Regional tournament. The Hilltoppers will face Pitt-Johnstown in the quarterfinal round at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Fairmont State is the No. 5 seed and the Falcons will face Virginia Union.

West Liberty entered Sunday’s championship game, having shot 50 percent or better in its first two MEC Tournament games. The Hilltoppers finished Sunday’s contest shooting 51 percent, the 15th time WLU shot 50 percent or better this season.

“I thought today was the perfect storm for us,” Howlett noted. “We shot and passed the ball at an incredibly high level. It seemed like every bounce went our way. Sometimes those games happen, and we have been on the other side. [Fairmont State] punked us back in January at their place, and I think we remembered that.”

West Liberty’s Bryce Butler, a two-time MEC Player of the Year, led all scorers with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Butler was named the MVP of the conference tournament after averaging 21 points and 13 rebounds in WLU’s three games.

“We do not want to take winning for granted,” Butler said. “The same thing happened last year, and we went to the NCAA Tournament and laid an egg. I still have a sour taste in my mouth. Our focus now is next week.”

Neither team led by more than four points over the first 6 minutes. Fairmont State’s last lead of the game came following a George Mangas layup to make it 11-10 with 13:56 remaining.

West Liberty (28-3) responded with multiple scoring runs while holding FSU scoreless, including a 7-0 spurt that allowed the Hilltoppers to lead 26-16 following a Steve Cannady three-pointer. 

Cannady, a Mercyhurst transfer, finished with 19 points and five triples.

“I was trying to play my game,” Cannady said. “I wanted to push the pace and find the open player because when we find the open player, we are the best team in the country. We made good shots into great ones.”

Fairmont State (24-7) cut West Liberty’s lead to 34-24 following a Briggs Parris layup with 6:16 remaining in the half. However, West Liberty quickly regained momentum by scoring six unanswered points from Chaz Hinds, Ben Sarson, and Cannady.

The Hilltoppers left their foot on the gas in the final 6 minutes by scoring 13 of the last 22 points in the first half to hold a 53-33 lead at the break.

Fairmont State’s Isaiah Sanders was held scoreless in the first half but scored four of the Falcons’ first 10 points after halftime. Sanders finished with only seven points, snapping a 25-game streak with double figures.

Meanwhile, West Liberty’s Butler and Cannady accounted for straight points, including back-to-back triples from Butler in 24 seconds, early in the second half.

Nine Hilltoppers scored in the second half as WLU was clicking on all cylinders, which included Butler and Sarson combining for 26 of the team’s 59 points.

WLU assisted on 69 percent of its field goals. West Liberty’s 29 assists were the ninth time the Hilltoppers posted 25 or more assists this season.

“That is West Liberty basketball,” Howlett recalled. “We do not recruit guys that are off-the-dribble shooters. All of our guys can do that, but that is not what we are looking for in our offense. We want clean shots with guys in a rebounding position. Today those shots were falling, but at other times they were not.”

WLU’s Malik McKinney finished with 16 points by shooting 67 percent. Sarson and Hinds combined for 28 points, including Hinds’s 15 points off the bench.

West Liberty made 18-of-42 threes and held a 48-40 rebounding edge.

Five Falcons scored in double-figures, including Mangas and Tariq Woody, both of whom finished with 12.

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Although the Pioneers had reached the Mountain East Conference Tournament title game five straight seasons, the University of Charleston had its number by claiming the last two.

On Sunday, Glanville State had its way with the Golden Eagles and recorded its a 76-59 victory for its 29th win this season and first league championship since 2020.

“This team has worked hard since they got here, and we had 15 or 16 new people added to our roster,” said Glenville State head coach Kim Stephens. “They didn’t know each other and came in and worked hard. They didn’t like it, but they did it anyway. They continued to do it over and over and over again. They deserved this today. Charleston’s a great team. I’m not taking anything away from them, but our team deserves this because they bought in and worked hard.”

Glenville will host the Atlantic Regional Tournament next weekend. The Pioneers will face No. 8 seed Elizabeth City State (20-10) in the quarterfinals. West Virginia State (22-6) is the No. 5 seed. Charleston (23-8) earned the No. 7 seed.

The defending Division II National Champion lost 95 percent of its point production from last season’s team. While it’s been a challenging road, Stephens’ confidence remained steady through a gauntlet of a schedule.

“This [game] is up there,” Stephens stated. “We do have a lot of championships, and we are blessed. God has been good to us. We always want to give Him glory. This one is special and hard. I’m not saying the others were easy, but not only do you bring in 15 or 16 new people that do not know anything. We had so many injuries, and I do not think I have dealt with this many injuries and lineups. It shows what our team is about. I work these players hard. That way, they can have this moment.”

Veteran UC guard Trinity Palacio and Markyia McCormick were the driving force early for the Golden Eagles as they combined for eight of UC’s first 13 points, including back-to-back baskets from Palacio in a 1:34.

Glenville State cut its deficit to one at 13-12 following a layup by Hya Haywood for two of her six first-quarter points with 3:15 remaining. That would serve as the Pioneers’ last field goal, and Charleston would capitalize by finishing the quarter on a 7-0 run.

“We handled the press and got the ball inbounds,” said the Golden Eagles head coach Tianni Kelly. “We attacked the rim and got to the basket. When we were able to break the press and settled into what we wanted to do, which helped us a lot.”

The Golden Eagles stretched their lead out to 28-16 early in the second quarter following a three-pointer by senior Dakota Reeves with 6:40 left.

GSU started clawing back into the game by scoring five straight points, but the Pioneers’ leading scorer Breanna Campbell picked up her third foul, causing her to sit the remainder of the quarter.

While Campbell was out, Toledo transfer Mickayla Perdue scored nine consecutive points for the Pioneers, including a triple with 3:03 remaining to tie the game at 30. However, GSU went into the half trailing, 34-32.

“I think everybody stepped up and played a big role today,” Perdue said. “Our coaches told us to let it come to us and not force it. They were not worried. As a player, that’s showing me my coaches are not worried, so I’m not worried.”

Both teams would trade baskets through the first 3:50, and the game was tied at 41.

But Glenville State scored 15 of the following 17 points as six players contributed during that stretch, which gave the Pioneers a 13 point-lead, 56-43, with 1:56 remaining in the quarter.

GSU maintained that lead heading into the final quarter at 60-47.

“I was proud of the adjustments we made at halftime and trusted one another,” Stephens added. “You cannot win championships with two or three people. It has to take a whole team. We had a lot of people step up and hit big shots.”

The Golden Eagles used a 9-0 run midway through the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to nine, 65-56. However, to close the game, the Pioneers would score 11 of the final 14 points, including free throws from Cabria Lewis, Alexis Maynard, Perdue, and Campbell.

This last year was memorable for Stephens and the Glenville State program. She knows the job is not done but is soaking in as much as possible.

“It has been fun,” Stephens said. “I love my staff, and they are fun to be around. When I lost my dad in 2020, I went through some years where it was not fun to go to work. You had last year, and that was amazing. It was fun and great, but the pressure was unreal. This year was just fun. I love being around this team, and they work hard every day. Not only are they fun to be around on the court, but they’re fun to be around off the court. I enjoy coming to practice to see them. I’m so proud of them. They deserve this.”

Perdue and Campbell combined for 39 of the Pioneers 76 points, and Perdue led all scorers with 22 points.

McCormick led UC with 17 points, shooting 44 percent.

It was the fifth time Glenville State has won the MEC regular season and tournament titles.

The post Glenville State uses strong third quarter to get past Charleston in MEC women’s final, 76-59 appeared first on WV MetroNews.

Men’s Tournament Game #1 – No. 7 Glenville State 96, No. 10 Wheeling 84

By Duane Cochran for MountainEast.org

A 24-9 spurt in the final 8:21 of the opening half helped seventh-seeded Glenville State break open a close game with 10th-seeded Wheeling University and cruise to a 96-84 victory in the opening round of the annual Mountain East Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Wednesday evening here at WesBanco Arena.

The Pioneers’ dynamic backcourt duo of Jordan Turbo Smith and Freddie Word combined for 18 of GSU’s 24 points on the game-changing run as they both tallied nine points en route to double-figure scoring performances. Smith finished with a game-high 27 points, eight rebounds and four assists, while Word ended up with 22 points and three assists.

“We kinda feel like we’ve got to set the tone for our team,” Word said. “When we get going, the team gets going.”

Smith agrees.

“Honestly I feel like for us that run started on the defensive end,” Smith said. “We had a huddle on the court before a free throw and we just said ‘We’ve got to get some stops. It’s time to go.’ Right then we all locked in. We got some stops and on offense our teammates found us, we scored the ball, made the right reads and handled business like we’re supposed to do.”

Wheeling’s Marcus Johnson, who led the Cardinals with 25 points and 10 rebounds, says Smith and Word were a handful for his team’s defense Wednesday night.

“They’re hard to guard because they’re so quick, fast and downhill all of the time,” said Johnson. “We didn’t rotate fast enough to stop the open three. They kinda put us in scramble mode on defense and they were either getting to the rim or getting kick outs for open threes.”

The victory improved the Pioneers to 17-12 on the year and earned them a berth in the quarterfinals Friday at noon against second-seeded Fairmont State (22-6). Glenville swept the regular-season series with the Falcons winning 88-83 in Fairmont and 85-84 in overtime in Glenville.

“Tonight I thought we played pretty well, especially in the first half to create a little of that separation,” said Pioneer coach Justin Caldwell. “When you hold a team to 30 percent from the field and 12 percent from three like we did in the first half you’re going to set yourself up to win a lot of games.

“I thought we did a pretty good job, especially in the first half of defending which plays to our strength. When we can get stops, we can get the ball out in transition and we’re a transition basketball team.”

The Pioneers shot 42.5 percent from the field in the opening half, including a 7-of-19 showing from behind the 3-point line. GSU also turned Wheeling over eight times which led to 13 points and a 52-34 lead at the break. In the second half the Cardinals never got any closer than the final 12-point margin.

Wheeling finishes the season with a 6-23 record. Twelve of the Cardinals’ losses this season have been by single digits and 10 of those were by five points or less.

“There’s not much to say about today’s game,” Wheeling coach Chris Richardson said. “We didn’t play our best.

“For a team with our record we have had very few performances like that. There’s probably a lot of people surprised to see us here given our record. The most surprising thing for us today is our performance was not us. Give a lot of credit to Glenville State for that. We struggled to make shots and we struggled to pass and catch early. We have no excuses, though. We’re a no-excuse program.”

Wheeling played the contest without leading scorer and first-team All-MEC selection John Korte, who was sidelined with a reported back injury. Korte averaged 19.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per contest for the Cardinals during the regular season.

“There’s no question that hurt them,” Caldwell said. “He averages 19 points a game so he puts a lot of pressure on your defense.”

In addition to Smith and Word, Glenville got 20 points and five rebounds from Jacquez Yow and 11 points and three steals from De’Ante Petree.

Johnson’s double-double performance for Wheeling was complemented by Brent Price, who also posted a double-double scoring 20 points and grabbing a game-high 14 boards. The Cardinals also got 19 points and six rebounds from Andrew Taylor.

“We have a great group of young men on our team,” said Taylor. “We’ve got gym rats. Guys who will be in the gym every day. We’ve had our struggles this season. We had a lot of ups and downs, but I wouldn’t trade this group of guys for nothing. Our togetherness as a team is amazing. Going into this off season we’re going to work our butts off and you’ll will see us again. I promise that.”

The Glenville win extended the winless streak for No. 10 seeds in the tournament to nine straight games. No 10th-seed has ever won a game in the MEC Men’s Basketball Tournament. In the 2021 Covid-shortened season divisional seeding was used for the tournament so there was no No. 10 seed.

Men’s Tournament Game #2 – No. 8 Concord 76, Alderson Broaddus 65

By Duane Cochran for MountainEast.org

First-team All-Mountain East Conference forward Daniel Rahama scored a game-high 29 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to help eighth-seeded Concord University pull away from ninth-seeded Alderson-Broaddus in the game’s final six minutes and record a 76-65 victory in the opening round of the league’s annual men’s basketball tournament here Wednesday evening at WesBanco Arena.

“When he came into our program two years ago he made an immediate impact,” said Concord coach Todd May. “We talk with our guys about being everyday guys. He brings it every single day. He raises the level of his teammates. He’s a leader, a great person and he was special tonight for us for sure.”

The double-double was Rahama’s team-leading 12^th of the season. He also combined with teammate J.J. Harper to score 12 of the Mountain Lions final 18 points as they pulled away from the Battlers with an 18-10 spurt in the game’s last 6:46.

“Just being a guy with experience it’s what you have to do as a player when you get the opportunity,” Rahama said. “It’s my second year here, but my fifth playing college basketball. I’ve tried to learn from my old school and here to be a good leader and to do what I have to do and what I want us to do as a team to get a win.”

Veteran A-B coach Stephen Dye admits Rahama was a problem for his team’s defense all evening.

“He’s experienced and as coaches we love that,” Dye said. “You need those floor leaders in tough situations on the floor. He’s been in a lot of tough situations over his five years of playing.

“He’s fun to watch. Now, I don’t like watching him when I’m coaching against him, but I really like watching him when I’m not. He just plays the game the right way. He’s tough, hard-nosed and very physical. My guys know that. They talk about him and have a lot of respect for him.”

A-B struggled to shoot the ball for much of the game. The Battlers finished just 34.8 percent (24-of-69) from the field, including just 7-of-25 (28 percent) from long range. Concord also outscored A-B in the paint 48-34.

“It was a tough game for us,” Dye said. “We obviously didn’t play our best. It was a very physical game and I thought we battled, but we just didn’t have our A game today. Thirty-four percent from the field is not typically us. We struggled from the 3-point line and we knew coming in it was going to be a battle in the paint and we just didn’t get it done. Getting outscored 48-34 in the paint is pretty much the story of the game.”

Harper finished with 11 points and eight rebounds for the Mountain Lions who improved to 15-14 overall and earned the right to advance to Friday’s quarterfinal round against top-seeded West Liberty (25-3) at 6 p.m. Concord also got 11 points from Ethan Heller and eight points apiece from both Jevon Laidler and Amare Smith.

“It was a really good college basketball game,” May said. “Give credit to A-B and coach Dye. They were down a few bodies, but they came out and jumped on us early. I thought our guys did a great job of responding. It was a close game at the half and for much of the second half, but we were able to extend the lead late and I think that started with our defense. We did a phenomenal job of holding that team to 35 percent shooting and on the glass where were plus five. That was a key.”

A-B, which finished its season at 11-17, got 16 points from Jalen Knott, 13 points and 12 rebounds from Jon King, 12 points from Coryon Rice and 10 from Sirr Hughes.

“This game hurt to be honest,” Knott said. “This is the game everyone wanted. We felt like we were better than our seeding and to go out and perform like we did tonight was disappointing.”

Women’s Tournament Game #1 – No. 7 Concord 78, No. 10 Notre Dame College 67

By Duane Cochran for MountainEast.org

WHEELING, W.Va. – The third time wasn’t as easy for Concord’s women’s basketball team against feisty Notre Dame College but it was still a charm here Wednesday afternoon in the opening round of the annual Mountain East Conference Tournament at WesBanco Arena.

The seventh-seeded Mountain Lions, who had raced to big early leads and rolled to double-digit wins twice during the regular season over the 10th-seeded Falcons, had to overcome an eight-point, third-quarter deficit to eliminate Notre Dame, 78-67.

The victory improved Concord to 13-16 on the year and sets up a meeting with second-seeded West Virginia State (22-5) in the tournament quarterfinals Thursday at noon. Concord knocked off West Virginia State 82-71 in the next-to-last game of the regular season on Feb. 22.

Notre Dame finished its season at 7-22.

“I’ve got to give it to our girls because they battled the entire game,” first-year Concord head coach Tesla Southcott said. “It was a very physical game. Notre Dame took us a little bit out of our element in the first half. We weren’t using our strengths. We weren’t playing inside out. We weren’t throwing the ball ahead. We’re normally a team which prides itself on defense and we were, to be quit honest, a little off.

“I think some of that was a little bit of nerves and being anxious and playing in this arena for the first time this year. We’ve got a lot of kids in new roles for us, but in the second half I think you saw more glimpses of the real Concord. You saw the fight and determination.”

After an even first quarter, Notre Dame’s Lizzie Imrie and Noel Weathers helped the Falcons take a 32-29 lead at the half. In the first 2:39 of the third quarter the Falcons’ three-point advantage had ballooned to a game-high eight-point lead at 39-31.

“I think our girls came out and played hard for the most part and definitely showed some growth,” NDC coach Imani Gordon said.

“Towards the end, though, we couldn’t execute when we needed to. We kinda crumbled and fell apart. We’ll take it, learn from it and come back stronger next year.”

Imrie agrees.

“I was really proud of the effort we showed today,” said Imrie, who led all scorers with 22 points and nine rebounds. “Being the 10-seed is never the standard at Notre Dame, but we gave it our all today.

“We did have some mental lapses on both the offensive and defensive ends. We know that basketball is a game of runs and we tried to contain those runs as best as we could, but it was unfortunate that we let it slip away from us. We all wanted this game bad because we’ve been through a lot this season.”

Trailing by eight early in the third quarter Concord’s Southcott had seen enough. She called timeout, challenged her team and employed a press defense which turned the Falcons over a few times and paved the way for a quick Mountain Lion comeback.

“In that timeout I challenged them,” Southcott said. “I said ‘What are you made of? Right now you’re going down. If you don’t step on the gas and show everyone what you’re made of then you’re going to lose this ball game. Do you want your season to end today?’ I believe that was the statement I made.

Concord’s Abbie Smith draws the and-one

Notre Dame currently leads 44-41 over Concord (4:31 3rd) pic.twitter.com/gnlkR78wtV

— Mountain East Conf. (@TheMountainEast) March 1, 2023

“Teams that respond to that and honestly want that are the teams who can turn it around in the second half. Our girls did that.”

Led by Nakaila Gray and Abbie Smith, Concord wiped out its eight-point deficit in just over 60 seconds of game time and knotted the score at 39. After that it was close until the Mountain Lions began pulling away in the game’s final five minutes.

“One thing this team is about is grit and determination,” Concord’s Jaisah Smith, who led the Mountain Lions with 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists, said. “Coach T instills in us to never put our heads down. She tells us to keep fighting and that’s exactly what we did.”

Concord went 27-of-38 from the foul line in the game, including an 11-of-15 showing in the fourth quarter. The Mountain Lions also connected on seven of nine field goals in the final quarter. NDC, on the other hand, was just 5-of-18 from the field in the fourth quarter.

Joining Smith in double figures for Concord were Gray, who finished with 16 points, Abbie Smith, who added 12 and Maddie Ratcliff, who chipped in 11.

Besides Imrie, Notre Dame got double-digit scoring from Amil Ali-Shakir and Weathers, who both finished with 12 points and Cencere McDaniel, who contributed 11.

Women’s Tournament Game #2 – No. 9 Frostburg State 70, No. 8 Davis & Elkins 64

By Chris Thomas

WHEELING, W.Va. – Ninth-ranked Frostburg State made nearly 64 percent of its shots in the fourth quarter and rallied past eighth-seeded Davis & Elkins, 70-64, on Wednesday afternoon in the opening round of the Mountain East Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament, presented by The Health Plan.

“It feels good to get Frostburg State University’s first MEC Tournament win in school history,” said first-year Bobcat head coach Jenna Eckleberry. “We came out on fire in the first half and played nearly a perfect 15 minutes, but late in the first half had some lapses on defense.

“Then, we gave up 25 points in the third quarter. But, in the fourth quarter we got down on defense and made stops. The players did not want their season to come to an end today and they stepped up and made plays.”

With Davis & Elkins leading 56-49 with 8:58 remaining in the fourth quarter, Frostburg State went on a 12-0 run over a five-minute stretch to take over momentum in the game with a 61-56 lead at the 2:47 mark. Emilee Weakley, the 2023 MEC Freshman of the Year, scored six points during the stretch while Rhiana Hall, Arianna Briggs-Hall and Shelby Funchess added buckets for the Bobcats.

Jackie Wright dropped in a layup and Ellie Wilkerson added a jump shot to bring the Senators back within a single point (61-60) with 2:11 remaining, but a layup by Briggs-Hall and a jumper by Weakley pushed the Bobcat lead back to six with 44 seconds remaining.

From that point, the Bobcats buried 4-of-4 free throw attempts to answer a pair of D&E baskets and Frostburg State advanced to Thursday’s 6 p.m. semifinal with a 70-64 first round win.

With today’s victory, Frostburg State advances to Thursday’s semifinal round against top-seeded Glenville State. Tip is set for 6 p.m. at WesBanco Arena.

Weakley led all scorers with 24 points, eight rebounds and three assists for the Bobcats. Briggs-Hall added 15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Funchess and Hall also reached double-figures for Frostburg State with 14 and 10 points, respectively.

Frostburg State’s Emilee Weakley drops in the layup to cut the Davis & Elkins lead to three (56-53) with just over seven minutes remaining. pic.twitter.com/RC73gt8jC2

— Mountain East Conf. (@TheMountainEast) March 1, 2023

For the game, Frostburg State shot 42 percent from the floor, including a 7-of-11 (63.6%) performance in the fourth quarter. The Bobcats scored 22 points off turnovers and had 38 points in the paint during the victory.

Davis & Elkins had four double-figure scorers in the game, led by Ellie Wilkerson with 17 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Taylor Smith added 12 points and three steals. Wright and Jaela Reid also reached double-figures with 11 and 10, respectively.

The Senators shot 43.5 percent (27-of-62) from the floor on the afternoon. Davis & Elkins shot 62.5 percent from the floor in the third quarter and rallied from a six-point deficit at the 8:50 mark of the third quarter to a five-point lead with 3:50 remaining in the third. D&E would hold on to the lead and entered the fourth quarter with a 52-49 advantage.

“We’ve talked about highs and lows all season, but I’m proud of how the team came together this season,” said Davis & Elkins first-year head coach Donna Carr.

D&E scored 12 points on the fast-break and also dropped in 15 points off of nine offensive boards.

Although Frostburg State led for over 28 minutes, the game featured three lead changes and five ties.

Thursday schedule:

Tournament Game #5 (Women’s quarterfinal): No. 2 West Virginia State vs. No. 7 Concord – Noon

Tournament Game #6 (Women’s quarterfinal): No. 3 Charleston vs. No. 6 Wheeling – 2:30 p.m.

Tournament Game #7 (Women’s quarterfinal): No. 1 Glenville State vs. No. 8 No. 9 Frostburg State – 6 p.m.

Tournament Game #8 (Women’s quarterfinal): No. 4 Fairmont State vs. No. 5 West Liberty – 8:30 p.m.

The post MEC Tournament Day 1 recap; Quarterfinal contests set appeared first on WV MetroNews.

Seeding races on the men’s and women’s sides are shaping up to be an interesting last few games.

The MEC also announced that it would move its conference baseball tournament to the GoMart Ballpark in Charleston.

Reid Amos, the MEC Commissioner, discussed yesterday’s announcement and its meaning for the conference. What impact will it have? What should we expect from the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments in a few weeks?

Jenna Eckleberry, the Frostburg State women’s head basketball coach, stops by to discuss her team’s season. She discusses the Bobcats’ memorable game against West Libert on West Liberty. Coach Eckelberry also discusses the impact of Emilee Weakley.

Join Travis Jones and Taylor Kennedy for another edition of MEC This Week.

Subscribe to the podcast wherever you find yours, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

The post MEC This Week – Episode 21 appeared first on WV MetroNews.

Travis Jones and Taylor Kennedy are back for another edition of MEC This Week. The two discuss the important matchups and storylines for the weekend.

Justin Caldwell, the Glenville State men’s head basketball coach, stop by to discuss the Pioneers’ impressive season so far. What has worked well for them? What has changed lately that was not working earlier this season? What has Jordan Turbo Smith meant to this year’s team?

Mickayla Perdue, a Glenville State Lady Pioneers guard, discusses her season. What led her to choose Glenville State? How much of an impact did head coach Kim Stephens play into her decision?

Subscribe to MEC This Week wherever you find your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

The post MEC This Week – Episode 20 appeared first on WV MetroNews.

A few memorable moments last weekend included Wheeling University picking up the upset victory over West Liberty by hanging 114 points, the University of Charleston holding off West Virginia State, and the Notre Dame College (OH) women’s team staying at arm’s length.

Chris Richardson, the Wheeling Cardinals head basketball coach, joins Travis Jones and Taylor Kennedy on today’s episode of MEC This Week. Coach Richardson discusses how big of a boost Saturday’s victory was, leading scorer John Korte’s season so far, what Brent Price is doing differently this season, and more.

Subscribe to MEC This Week wherever you find yours, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

The post MEC This Week – Episode 19 appeared first on WV MetroNews.

The Golden Eagles led by 14 points with 5 minutes left, but were outscored the rest of the way by the Yellow Jackets, 22-11.

West Virginia State trimmed the Charleston lead to two with 18 seconds left, but Anthony Pittman missed two free throws that would have tied the game. Following the missed free throws, UC’s Tyler Eberhart and Keith Williams combined to make 3-of-4 free throws.

“We have no control over whether or not [WVSU] make or miss free throws,” said Charleston head coach Dwaine Osborne. “You can call it luck or whatever. I thought when we were not fouling, we were doing what we wanted to do. What our game plan was we were doing that efficiently. The biggest thing that crushed us was rebounding the ball, especially down the stretch, and handling their pressure.

On a few occasions, UC fouled WVSU’s players on a 3-point attempt.

“That was a killer,” Osborne stated. “I thought if that does not happen, the game is different. Kudos to them for doing what they did.”

UC went into the break with a 16-point lead at 47-31. The Yellow Jackets outscored the Golden Eagles, 14-6, over the first 6:13 of the second half. 

Osborne was pleased with how his team handled adversity.

“We talked during halftime and the first media timeout that they are a good team, and they will make a run,” Osborne said. “You cannot expect that to lead to grow to 30 to 40 to 50 and so on. They were going to make a run. Games usually have ebbs and flows. Each team has multiple runs throughout the game. It is a matter of which team can maximize their run and stretch it out as much as possible.”

Eddie Colbert III provided a spark off the bench connecting on three triples in a 4-minute stretch near the middle of the second half. Colbert finished the game with 21 points, shooting 64 percent from the field and 63 percent from behind the arc.

“He came through in the second half,” Osborne said. “Some of those threes he hit were monster shots. He has good looks at them. Regardless of what the percentages show, he is arguably the best shooter on our team. If you look over his career, he has been 40-plus in his first three years. He has not shot it well this season but has been working on it. I am thankful he comes in and cares enough about it to spend time on the gun when he is not shooting well.”

Eberhart collected his third double-double with a team-high 21 points, and 13 rebounds.

“Tyler is super important for us because he does so much for us,” Osborne said. “He is super versatile. He is a great passer. He can handle the ball in the press. He knows the system super well. That has been effective for us this season.”

Charleston was effective in limiting Pittman’s opportunities offensively. Pittman, WVSU’s second-leading scorer with an average of 14 points, was held in check with nine points.

“We tried to make it as difficult as possible for him,” Osborne stated. “He is super talented. I have a lot of respect for him as a player and for his ability. I am not sure if we did a great job at it. If you look at the box score, it would say we did. However, I do not think we did.”

There were three technical fouls during the game, including two from the Golden Eagles.

“Our emotional maturity is not good,” Osborne noted. “We are going to address that at practice come Monday. I feel like I can come up with some ways to learn. I have 48 hours to figure that out. To me, that is a maturity thing. You get caught up with things during the game. You cannot worry about what is going on around you.”

UC’s Keith Williams also poured in a double-figure performance with 17 points and made all 10 free-throw attempts.

WVSU’s Samier Kinsler led all scorers with 24 points, including four triples.

The post Charleston holds off West Virginia State for 86-83 victory appeared first on WV MetroNews.

The Yellow Jackets welcomed the reigning Division II national champions Glenville State on Wednesday, then faced the two-time defending Mountain East Conference champion University of Charleston.

The Yellow Jackets were riding high entering the matchup with UC after snapping a 15-game losing streak to the Pioneers, 76-75. WVSU then had little time to prepare for tough crosstown rival UC. However, the Yellow Jackets took care of business Saturday afternoon inside the Walker Convocation Center.

“We hardly talked about it and took it one game at a time,” said West Virginia State head coach Charles Marshall. “I told them to celebrate the win over Glenville State until midnight. Then it was time to refocus, take care of business, and put all our attention on UC.”

There were multiple areas where West Virginia State blossomed. However, Marshall praised his team’s defensive effort most.

“Our effort on that end of the floor was unbelievable,” Marshall stated. “They took care of business. They outworked them, out-hustled them, and dove on the floor. That effort was amazing.”

Destiny Fields led all scorers with 21 points while shooting 64 percent from the floor. Fields has now scored in double-figures in eight straight games, while averaging 17 points during that stretch.

“She showed up against a good team when the game is on the line,” Marshall said. “When it was big games, she would not perform. However, this season, when there are big games, she is stepping up and doing what a senior is supposed to do. I am thrilled for her. She has grown every single season. It is fun seeing her be rewarded for her hard work..”

Both teams traded punches early, with the largest lead between the two being six by West Virginia State. The Yellow Jackets were held to two field goals in the final 2:21 of the opening quarter.

UC capitalized by scoring ten of the final 18 points in the first quarter. The Golden Eagles scored consecutive baskets in 16 seconds to give them the lead. However, a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Alana Kramer gave WVSU the lead after one, 25-23.

Charleston scored the opening basket, but the Yellow Jackets responded with a 7-0 run. WVSU stretched that hot start out to a 17-8 run in the first 6:52.

“Our players are motivated right now,” Marshall noted. “I think they realize they are doing something special, which has never been done for women’s basketball at the university. They believe in themselves. It is not so much what I am doing, but this is the first year a team has fully bought into what we tell them during practice.”

Former Winfield all-state selection ZZ Russell took over in the second quarter for WVSU, tallying eight of her 13 first-half points in the second quarter. Marshall had been waiting for his junior guard to piece together an impressive performance.

Russell finished the game with 17 points, including 13 in the first half.

“I thought she was under control and took control,” Marshall noted. “She keyed into it and got us into our zone offense, and we scored the bucket. I got chills seeing her do that. That has been a struggle for us, and it shows the growth of where she is. It also shows our team’s growth and ability to adjust in the game. I think we are on to something.”

The University of Charleston would try and get over the double-digit hump in the third quarter. However, the closest the Golden Eagles got was ten points with 7:38 left.

West Virginia State forced nine third-quarter turnovers, which led to 22 points off turnovers. Marshall was proud of his squad’s defensive aggressiveness from start to finish.

“Trinity [Palacio] controls their team. She is a version of a Chris Paul-type player,” stated Marshall about his team’s defensive pressure. “I did not think we would be able to turn them over as well as we did. I knew she would be key. We had to try and contain her for us to be successful. Our girls stuck with the game plan.”

Marshall was especially proud of how his team defended UC’s Dakota Reeves. Reeves is the MEC’s leader in three-point percentage. Reeves finished the game with 14 points.

“She is one of the best girls in the nation, and when you can hold her to that amount of threes for a game, then we are doing something right,” Marshall stated.

Palacio led the Golden Eagles with 18 points.

The post West Virginia State wraps up stellar week with resounding win over Charleston appeared first on WV MetroNews.

Briggs Parris, a Fairmont State Falcon guard, joins the program and discusses his season thus far. What has this season been like for him? What did the 25-point win over West Liberty mean for Fairmont State last Saturday? How did he end up in Marion County?

Lauren Calhoun, a forward for the Wheeling Cardinals and the MEC Women’s Player of the Week, stops by and discusses her incredible performances last week. What led her to get into student teaching? How is this season going with the Cardinals?

Join Travis Jones and Taylor Kennedy for the latest edition of MEC This Week!

Subscribe to the podcast wherever you find yours!

The post MEC This Week – Episode 18 appeared first on WV MetroNews.

It had been nearly 700 days since the West Liberty (14-2, 9-1 MEC) finished below 80 points. Fairmont State answered the call by holding the Hilltoppers to shooting a season-low 36 percent.

“I thought our togetherness was great,” said Fairmont State head coach Tim Koenig. “[West Liberty] missed shots they normally make. Our defensive rotations were good. However, we did have some lapses with taking care of the ball, especially when we attacked their press, but I thought we handled the press well.”

“It was a great team win,” added veteran Falcon guard Isaiah Sanders. “We executed our game plan well. My teammates found me, and we found each other. It was an all-around solid win for us.”

Eight of West Liberty’s first 10 points came from forward Ben Saron, including back-to-back triples.

The Hilltoppers’ largest and longest lead came early in the first half when they saw their lead reach six about three minutes into the game.

Fairmont State and West Liberty would trade leads throughout the first 20 minutes. However, it was only when a Zyon Dobbs triple gave the Falcons the lead. Dobbs finished the game with 13 points.

FSU would out-score the Hilltoppers 12-to-4 in the final six minutes of the first half. The Falcons would go into the break ahead by eight, 45-37.

An early momentum swing came in the first minute and a half of the second half as Fairmont State opened up on a 7-to-0 run. Koenig saw that as the boost his team needed.

“When you play those guys, they are good that when you get up, it does not matter because there are so many possessions,” Koenig noted. “We wanted to play each play. It sounds like coach talk, but it was great. However, we needed to get the next one because they are dangerous.”

West Liberty started picking up steam, but the Hilltoppers still found themselves down 11 following two made free throws from Bryce Butler.

Fairmont State’s Briggs Parris connected on two consecutive threes in less than two minutes to stretch the Falcons’ lead back out to 14, 64-50.

The closest the Hilltoppers got was 13 points, following a triple from Zach Rasile at the 8:01 mark. Fairmont State would lead by as many as 26 points late in the game.

Sanders led all scorers with 30 points shooting an efficient 75 percent from the floor and 70 percent from long distance. He also finished with a team-high seven rebounds and four steals.

“I would not say it was one of my more comfortable games, but I did know I had to step up,” Sanders noted. “It felt good, and I felt good following my first basket.”

“He was relentless,” Koenig added. “He dove for loose balls, grabbed rebounds, and made shots. He had great leadership, and you could see that during the game. I am proud of him for keeping the guys together.”

Fairmont State’s bench combined for 28 points Saturday afternoon, including a 17 points performance from Parris. Parris connected on five triples, shooting 45 percent from deep.

“That is what Briggs does,” Koenig said. “We are going to play David [Jolinder] more. We were going to play Tariq [Woody] more, but the matchup was tough. [West Liberty] hurt us when he was in the first half. Tommy Williams also made great contributions. We believe in those guys and are confident in our bench.”

Butler, last year’s Mountain East Conference Player of the Year, was held to 14 points, shooting 50 percent from the floor. Koenig was encouraged by his team’s defensive display against the Latrobe, PA native.

“You cannot play him one-on-one,” Koenig stated. “We did the best we could. When he was driving, we tried to help. You cannot play with only one guy on him. We put different guys on him for different looks. He is a great player. We did our best to keep him in front of us. He is difficult to keep in front. We played great defense, but he still scored.”

Christian Montague led the Hilltoppers in scoring with 15 points. Malik McKinney and Saron each had 13 points.

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There is more stuff going on than we have time. This weekend should provide for an entertaining set of games, including the West Liberty vs Fairmont State matchup in Marion County.

Ben Howlett, the West Liberty Hilltoppers men’s head basketball coach, stop by to discuss his team’s hot start to the season. What has he seen from a few of his new faces, including Stephen Cannady? What did he and his staff learn whenever they played two games in Las Vegas?

Stephanie Anderson, the Fairmont State Falcons women’s head basketball coach, joins the show, and she discusses what has changed in her first few years as a head coach. She also discusses the impact that former George Washington Patriot Katy Darnell has had on this year’s team.

Join Travis Jones and Taylor Kennedy for Episode 17 of MEC This Week.

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Daniel Mondragon, Davis & Elkins men’s head basketball coach, stops by to discuss his team’s 9-4 start. What has gone right for the Senators? What do they have to do differently heading into the second half of the season? Breland Walton, a Beckley-Woodrow Wilson product, returns into the rotation. How much of an immediate impact will he play?

Anna Kowalska, Wheeling University women’s head basketball coach, joins the program. She chats about her team’s surprise start this season. What has she been focusing on in her first season? How has the transition gone from Life University to Wheeling?

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To check out the latest news and notes regarding the MEC click here.

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Karly Niesen, Wheeling Cardinals Junior Volleyball Setter, discusses Wheeling’s success, what they are wanting to do well in the NCAA Division II Tournament, how she got to Wheeling, and more.

Nathan Moore, Notre Dame (OH) Falcons football leading tackler, talks about the Falcons success, what has changed with them throughout the season, how he ended up in South Euclid, and more.

Join Travis Jones and Taylor Kennedy as they discuss everything going on within the MEC, and they chat about their takeaways from basketball this past and upcoming weekend.

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Mark Richmond, Notre Dame College (OH) men’s head basketball coach, and his team made the short drive to Cleveland State the other day, and the Falcons upset the Vikings. It was the second time in four seasons that Notre Dame College had defeated Cleveland State. Coach Richmond discusses the game itself, key players this season, and more.

Taylor Kennedy, Fairmont State women’s soccer goalkeeper, joined the program to discuss her and her team’s incredible MEC women’s soccer title victory over Frostburg State, 1-0, in penalty kicks. What was the emotion level like? What does this mean for the Falcons heading into the Division II NCAA Tournament?

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Travis Jones and Taylor Kennedy were joined this week by Bryan Poore, West Virginia State men’s head basketball coach, and Daniel Smee, University of Charleston head men’s soccer coach.

Poore is entering his 24th season as the Yellow Jackets head coach. WVSU is coming off an impressive 24-8 season after starting its first 10 games 5-5. The Yellow Jackets return valuable pieces like Anthony Pittman and Noah Jordan. Poore and his staff are also welcoming former Mountaineer guard Taevon Horton.

Smee and his squad are continuing to trek through the MEC Soccer Tournament. The Golden Eagles men’s soccer team has been dominant all season posting a 16-1 record during the regular season. What are the preparations like ahead of their opening round match on Thursday?

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Check out the video version at wvmetronews.com.

Want to find out more about the Mountain East Conference? Check out the website at mountaineast.org.

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Sy Alli IV, Wheeling University running back, and Bryce Butler, West Liberty men’s basketball junior guard, join the program.

Sy discusses his time with the Cardinals, what sold him on going to Wheeling University, the relationship with Coach Bruney, the successful season they have had, and more.

Bryce talks about playing for Team USA in the FIBA Basketball 3v3 competition in the Dominican Republic, his growth throughout his career, what Stephen Cannady brings to the team, his relationship with Malik McKinney, and more.

Travis Jones and Taylor Kennedy join you each week to provide insight and discussion with the top personalities in the Mountain East Conference.

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MEC hoops teams started practice last week, including the defending Division II national champions, Glenville State Lady Pioneers.

Kim Stephens, Glenville State Lady Pioneers head basketball coach, joins Travis Jones and Taylor Kennedy. Coach Stephens lost 93-percent of the total points from last season is gone. She discusses how her and her staff have to adjust. She talked about Zakiyah Winfield and Re’Shawna Stone going to Buffalo, transfer portal, Skylar Davidson, former Wyoming East standout, and other important notes.

Jack Mangel, Concord Mountain Lions senior quarterback, also joined the program. Mangel discussed his incredible performance this past weekend. He threw for 399 yards and six touchdowns. Mangel also chatted about playing for head coach Dave Walker, ending up at Concord, improvements he has had, and more.

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Tim Koenig, Fairmont State Falcons men’s head basketball coach, joins the program. Koenig enters his fourth season as the Falcons head coach. He welcomes back a loaded roster, including All-MEC First Team selection Isaiah Sanders. Koenig also addressed the status of forward Seth Younkin and Przemyslaw Golek.

Dayne Koontz, Frostburg State Bobcats kicker, is in his junior season with Frostburg State. Koonz connected on four field goals last weekend against Notre Dame (OH). He discusses his performance, and he mentions his mental approach before kicking a field goal.

Travis Jones and Taylor Kennedy dissect the preseason MEC men’s and women’s basketball polls, and they give a look ahead to what lies in football this week within the MEC.

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Travis Jones and Taylor Kennedy chat with Zac Bruney, Wheeling Cardinals head football coach, and Kris Kern, West Virginia State women’s head volleyball coach, on this week’s episode.

The Wheeling Cardinals are off to a 4-1 start this season, and they are tied for second in the conference with Concord. Bruney discusses what has allowed this year’s team to be successful, and he talks about the football program coming back in 2018.

The West Virginia State women’s volleyball team is spiking and digging their way through a tough volleyball conference. Wheeling and Charleston are also in contention for the MEC women’s volleyball crown. Kern talks about how volleyball has grown in the conference, his 42 years of experience, how he got into volleyball, and more.

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Travis Jones and Taylor Kennedy get you ready for the upcoming weekend in MEC football play, including a few games to watch.

Garrett Mack, Notre Dame College (OH) head football coach, and Michael Floria, Fairmont State sophomore quarterback, join the program.

This episode contained information about football, football, and, clever enough, more football.

Check out the MEC football schedule, statistics, and other news by going to https://mountaineast.org/index.aspx.

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Since that memorable season, Concord has struggled to generate wins and averaged two victories a season.

Dave Walker, a former legendary Martinsburg football coach, has his team moving in the right direction. Concord is one of two remaining unbeaten teams in the Mountain East Conference.

CU is already one victory from matching its win total from last season when the Mountain Lions finished 4-6.

“I felt like our goal last year was to be competitive. You have to be competitive before you can be successful,” Walker said. “We were competitive, but we only won four games. Several of the losses were one-possession games. I think this year we want to build upon it, and I think we have. I know it is coach speak, but there is still room for improvement.”

Walker is no stranger to rebuilding programs. Before taking over at Martinsburg, Walker’s first head coaching gig at East Hardy came after the Cougars had won only seven games in the previous nine seasons.

Walker then turned Martinsburg into a perennial powerhouse, one that’s been the most successful high school program in West Virginia over the last decade-plus.

Walker stepped into the Mountain Lions’ vacant position in December 2019 and became the school’s 20th head football coach. He dealt with early trials and tribulations, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic restricted Walker from going through his first spring practice. The MEC decided to play its football games in the spring of 2021. Concord ultimately only played one game out of the five it had scheduled that season. Later that calendar year, Concord returned to play in the fall and finished within one victory of a .500 season.

“It was the first time we were able to do our strength and conditioning stuff,” Walker said of the 2022 offseason. “Last year was like a normal year, and we treated it as such. It benefited us to get our guys bigger, faster, and stronger.”

Although he’s now at the college level, Walker is applying the same mindset he had while steering East Hardy and Martinsburg in the right direction.

“I want us to be contenders,” Walker said. “I don’t talk much about wins and losses, but I feel like this place is unique. There is so much potential here. Throughout the years, Concord University has had tremendous players and traditions. We want to add and build onto that as well. Concord is a great place to be, and we are excited and having fun doing what we do.”

The Mountain Lions take on the defending MEC champion Frostburg State at 1 p.m. Saturday in a battle of unbeaten.

Concord’s defense will be heavily relied on against the Bobcats, especially its ability to limit the run. The Mountain Lions are second in the MEC in rushing yards allowed per game, allowing 109 on average. On the flip side, Frostburg State is averaging 226 rushing yards through three games, which is second in the MEC.

“We certainly have our work cut out this weekend,” Walker noted. “Frostburg is probably the top team in our league. They are physical and they come at you. It will be a big task for us, and I think that makes it exciting.”

Former Martinsburg standout Jarod Bowie, the 2019 MetroNews Player of the Year, has been the catalyst for Walker’s offense. Bowie is atop the MEC with 19 receptions for 353 yards. He has made a strong return after suffering a season-ending injury last season.

“I have known Jarod since middle school,” Walker said. “He is talented and a special player. Jarod has continued to progress. He had to overcome his injury last season, and he has picked it back up where he left off. Jarod has so much natural ability, but he has a better understanding of coverages, the game and route running.”

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Travis Jones and Taylor Kennedy chat with Dave Walker, Concord Mountain Lions head football coach, and Nick Bias, University of Charleston cross country and track & field head coach, who is also a Concord alum.

Walker previews the Concord versus Frostburg State showdown this weekend, former Martinsburg standout Jarod Bowie, what has to happen on Saturday, and more.

Bias discusses mental health and how he approaches those tough conversations with his athletes, coaching international players, what’s on tap the rest of the way, and more.

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BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. — The Mountain East Conference announced The Health Plan as a corporate partner on Thursday. In addition to serving as the title sponsor of the MEC Basketball Tournament, as part of the expanded partnership, The Health Plan will be the presenting sponsor for the league’s Player of the Week program and will have a presence associated with all MEC Championship events.

“The Health Plan has been an outstanding partner with the MEC as the Title Sponsor of the MEC Basketball Tournament in Wheeling since 2019 and we are thrilled to expand our relationship with them as a MEC Corporate Partner,” stated Commissioner Reid Amos. “The financial commitment that The Health Plan has made to the MEC significantly enhances our ability to continue to provide first-class championship experiences for student-athletes in all 23 sports supported by our conference.”

The new agreement further aligns The Health Plan, a West Virginia-based health maintenance organization that manages and improves the health and well being of its members, with the Mountain East Conference and its member institutions, supporting the mission and vision of the league.

“We are thrilled to be a part of The Mountain East Conference and its member schools,” stated Jeff Knight, President and CEO of The Health Plan. “Our goal is to see this sponsor relationship turn symbiotic, as the best ones do. Everyone wants to celebrate health care now and we want to resonate even more strongly in the MEC conference community.”

“Our continued goal is to be a part of community-minded and health-centric programs that take place all over our coverage areas,” Knight concluded.

ABOUT THE MEC: The Mountain East Conference features 12 NCAA Division II institutions in three states and sponsors 23 championship sports. MEC teams have won six NCAA team national championships in its nine years of existence, have had 10 teams play for an NCAA title and 17 teams have advanced to NCAA national semifinals. Student-athletes also excel in the classroom with over 2,400 earning academic recognition in 2021-22. The MEC has also produced eight Elite 90 awards, recognizing the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average who has reached the competition at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s 90 men’s and women’s championships across its three divisions. The Mountain East Conference headquarters are in Bridgeport, W.Va.

ABOUT THE HEALTH PLAN: The Health Plan (www.healthplan.org) is a clinically-driven, technology-enhanced, and customer-focused health maintenance organization that manages and improves the health and well-being of its members. Established in 1979, the West Virginia-based company, with offices in Wheeling, Charleston and Morgantown, West Virginia and Massillon, Ohio has offered a complete line of managed care products and services designed to provide health care systems and clients with innovative health care benefits and plans at a reasonable cost across the mid-Atlantic region and nationally.

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