WHEELING, W.Va. – The Glenville State Lady Pioneers pulled off another tournament victory today against West Virginia State, 87-73, to punch their ticket to the Mountain East Conference Championship game. The Lady Pioneers make their return to the MEC Championship game for seventh time in eight seasons.
GSU struggled on offense to open up, allowing the Yellow Jackets to start the game on an 8-0 run. Dream Cherry would get things started for the Pioneers with a three pointer to finally put them on the board. The Yellow Jackets continued to keep the pressure on the Lady Pioneers to enhance their lead to double digits. Glenville State looked to get in a groove with three minutes left in the quarter as they went on a 12-2 run to end the first stanza and make it a one possession game.
In the second quarter, the Lady Pioneers started where they left off in the first quarter and hit a three pointer to tie the game. On the very next possession, the Yellow Jackets answered back with a three of their own, taking back their lead. This three would spark a 9-3 run from the Yellow Jackets to increase the Pioneers deficit to six. Glenville State hit a cold streak but despite their struggles, they would keep the game within a striking distance and eventually tie the game up going into the locker room.
Both teams came out of the locker room to play as they battled back and forth until a 9-2 run from the Lady Pioneers gave them a four-point advantage. Despite the Yellow Jackets' efforts to regain their lead, GSU managed to keep their advantage and go into the final quarter of play with a nine-point lead.
In the fourth quarter, the Yellow Jackets would be first to score but it wouldn't matter because the Lady Pioneers went on a 7-0 run to get their lead to double digits. Another run later in the final quarter put the game out of reach, securing the 87-73 victory and punching GSU's ticket into the title game.
Final Stats
West Virginia State
The Yellow Jackets were ledt by Baylee Goins (13 points) and Zakorr Russell (12 points). Hallie Bailey led the team on the boards tonight with eight rebounds and was close to a double-double with nine points. Three different Yellow Jackets led the team in assists with three apiece. On defense, four different Yellow Jackets had three steals each.
Glenville State
The Lady Pioneers were led tonight by freshman Ashlyn Riley, who put on a master lass from the three-point line, shooting 6-11 from long range. Riley finished the game with 26 points, three rebounds and three steals. Tynasia Bunting and Nwando Okigbo were both big in the win tonight as Bunting had 16 points, seven rebounds, two blocks, and a steal while Okigbo finished with 14 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and a steal. Stevi Yancy was a playmaker as she hit double digits in assists with 10.
Up Next For The Lady Pioneers
The Lady Pioneers take on Fairmont State in the Championship game of the MEC Tournament tomorrow (Mar. 9) at the WesBanco Arena. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m.
