BUCKHANNON, W.Va. – West Virginia Wesleyan women’s basketball picked up a much needed conference win on Wednesday night, beating Concord 70-58 at Rockefeller Center. The Lady Bobcats shot 51% from the field to edge the Mountain Lions.
The opening quarter saw the two teams shoot a combined 7-23 from the field, with both struggling to find a groove on the offensive side of the ball. The Lady Bobcats got out to a quick 5-0 lead but would slow down the remainder of the quarter, leading 12-8 into the second.
Concord converted on consecutive fast break layups out of the gate in the new quarter, forcing Brett Vincent to call an early timeout. After the timeout, Wesleyan built another small lead, but couldn’t grow it more than five. Shooting woes continued for both squads to end the half, allowing the Lady Bobcats to take a 26-21 advantage into the locker room.
The pace completely flipped in the 3rd Quarter, speeding up drastically and both teams trading baskets. Imani Jackson started off the half with a smooth jumper, giving WVWC their biggest lead of seven. Concord went on a quick 9-2 run to tie it at 30, and from there the two would go trade baskets.
The Mountain Lions took their first lead of the game just under the five-minute mark in the third, using freshman Abbie Smith to their advantage on the block, feeding her time after time. Buckets by Laila Calhoun and Shelby Genes gave the Lady Bobcats the lead back going into the final quarter.
Genes scored 11 of her career-high 28 points in the fourth quarter, closing any comeback Concord attempted. Emma Witt would be the only other double-digit scorer for the Lady Bobcats, finishing with 11. Daveona Hatchell sniffed around a double-double, closing the game with nine points and eight rebounds. Concord was led by Abbie Smith with 21 points.
Wesleyan looks to carry their momentum against No. 2 Glenville State on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Glenville.
