Tasia Bistow delivered big for the Lady Pioneers.
She hit 8 or 9 free throw attempts hitting 21 points
on the night, sharing high scoring honors with Simmons
Story and Photos by Drew Moody
The Lady Pioneers pulled off a first round NCAA Atlantic Regional
victory Friday night 82-70 but only with the help of their opponents.
Glenville and West Liberty were far off their typical game, both teams
only shooting 34 percent for the game. The Lady Pioneers hit just 6 of
31 three-point attempts. Were it not for the powerful Kenyona Simmons,
MVP of the recent Mountain East Conference tournaments, the tale
would be far different.
Kenyona Simmons did it all for the Lady Pioneers
Friday, hitting 9 of 10 free throws on her way to
a 21-point game. She also pulled down 9 rebounds
and played a big part of keeping Glenville in the game
The Lady Pioneers jumped out to an early lead but the Hilltoppers stayed with them, It was a two point game 20-18 with just over 12 minutes left in the first half.
West Liberty fired passes around the outside spreading out Glenville's
defense, but they failed to collect on their efforts. At the same time on the other end of the floor the Lady Pioneers tossed up several air balls at the hoop.
With five minutes left in the first half Glenville led 35-31, but ended the half with a seven point lead.
West Liberty upped their game early in the second period taking the lead 46-45 with just under three minutes ticked off the clock. It was a dogfight as the Hilltoppers held the lead until midway through the second period.
The Lady Pioneer regained the lead at just under the 8-minute mark and
went on a 21-5 point scoring spree leaving West Liberty with no hope
of catching up.
Briauna Nix's solid performance helped secure the Lady Pioneers
win Friday. She scored 12 points and pulled down 8 rebounds
Tiffani Huffman makes a move driving past two defenders and scoring
Coach Charles Montgomery acknowledged the Lady Pioneers didn't
play their best. "We got lucky tonight. We can't have that type of
game tomorrow."
Glenville advances to the semifinal round of the NCAA Atlantic Regional Tournament tonight at 7:30 p.m.
Tasia Bistow and Kenyona Simmons both scored 21 points while
Briauna Nix chipped in 12. Glenville shined at the foul line hitting
29 of 33 attempts. Aesha Peters held her own underneath with 5 blocked
shots and 10 rebounds. Simmons had 10 boards, closely followed by
Briauna Nix's eight.
West Liberty's Liz Flowers led her teams scoring with 26.
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