WEST LIBERTY, W. Va. – Sydney Nestor drove inside for the game-winning layup along the right block and Davis & Elkins got a stop on the defensive end on the final possession to emerge with an exciting 71-69 win against West Liberty on Wednesday night in Mountain East Conference (MEC) play.
Jamiyah Johnson notched a game-high 21 points and secured 20 rebounds in another productive outing, while
Peyton Mohler added 13 points and two rebounds in the Senators fourth consecutive victory. Including the game-winner, Nestor had 11 points and seven rebounds in 30 minutes.
Jessica Eadsforth-Yates and
Jay Kilpatrick had eight points apiece.
Taylor Johnson had a team-high 20 points for West Liberty and Grace Fodor chipped in 12 points of her own. Battling back most of the night, West Liberty tied the score six times.
D&E dominated the paint, posting a 42-26 advantage inside along with a 50-33 edge on the glass.
THE RUNDOWN
- Davis & Elkins (6-13, 5-8 MEC) – 71
- West Liberty (7-12, 3-10 MEC) – 69
- Academic Sports and Recreation Complex – West Liberty, W. Va.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- A fastbreak layup from Jay Kilpatrick helped D&E gain some separation early at 12-8 and Nestor pulled up for a jumper to take a 16-12 lead. Reagan Sharp lifted D&E in front by five with a jumper at the 50-second mark of the first quarter.
- Off a steal, Eadsforth-Yates pushed the D&E edge to nine with a jump shot in the second quarter. The Hilltoppers scored the next six points in response, trimming the deficit to three. A pair of Mohler foul shots put D&E ahead by two at 34-32, but a three with less than 20 seconds in the half gave West Liberty a 37-36 lead at the break.
- With scoring tough to come by to begin the second half for both sides, Johnson converted inside for a 42-41 lead at 6:04 in the third, the first of the half for the Senators. After leading for the next two minutes, West Liberty canned a three from Grace Faulk at 3:47 for a 49-4 edge. The Hilltoppers led for the rest of the frame, expanding the advantage to eight at the foul line with under one minute remaining.
- Trailing by eight in the fourth, D&E got to work and trimmed the deficit to two several times. Mohler tied the game at 66 with a pair of foul shots and Kilpatrick pushed D&E in front by two, 68-66, at the charity stripe.
- West Liberty tied the game at 69 before Nestor peeled inside for the game-winner with three seconds left. Following two consecutive timeouts, D&E locked down on the defensive end to preserve the win.
GAME NOTES
- Johnson surpassed 20 rebounds for the third time this season.
- Wednesday's win put two games of separation between ninth-place D&E and the last three teams in the league standings.
- With 13 points tonight, Mohler is averaging 10.1 points/game over the last six outings.
- Entering tonight's game, Johnson was tied for the DII lead in rebounding average (14.3). Her effort tonight pushed her to 14.6 rebounds/game.
- Davis & Elkins has won four of the previous five matchups in the series.
- The Senators have held each of their last four opponents under 70 points during their winning streak.
UP NEXT
- D&E stays on the road, facing Wheeling on Saturday, February 1 at 2:00 PM.
