Point Park women’s basketball defeated West Virginia State 76-65 on Saturday to earn its first home Mountain East Conference win in the CCAC-Allegheny Gymnasium.
The Pioneers had a consistent offensive performance, but a relentless full-court press from the Yellow Jackets forced 28 turnovers on Point Park.
“They just bring so much pressure,” coach David Scarborough said. “The pressure, I still feel like is still pressing us, even though it’s two days later.”
Despite the aggressive defense, the Pioneers took a steady lead in the second quarter after a 10-point run.
“For the most part, we handled their press like we had practiced and talked about successfully,” Scarborough said. “There were times when we really didn’t, [and] we kept them in the game. But when we did, we got pretty good shots.”
With five minutes remaining, the Pioneers held onto their double-digit lead through the end of the game. Numerous visits to the free-throw line and consistent outside shooting awarded Point Park its second MEC win and first MEC win at home.
“The energy was definitely high,” Junior guard Alexis Giles said. “Not only is this our first MEC home win, but we’ve been on a losing streak, so being able to win a big game like this felt awesome.”
The Pioneers outscored the Yellow Jackets in all four quarters, ending the night with 40% field goal success.
“I think this also gave us some reassurance that we are a better team than what our record shows, so hopefully we can continue playing like this and get some more wins,” Giles said.
The Yellow Jackets went 31.6% from the field and 45% from the free-throw line, missing 11 total free throws.
Point Park ended the afternoon with four double-digit performances. Giles led the court with 22 points to beat her season-high.
“Obviously it was a team effort throughout the entire game but being able to hit my shots toward the end to secure the win felt amazing,” Giles said. “It shows that the hard work outside of practice really does pay off.”
Giles is the leading scorer for the Pioneers this season with 12.3 points per game. She is in her third season at Point Park.
“Her growth has just been fun to watch,” Scarborough said. “Specifically this year, she took on the role that she’s gonna have to shoot a lot more and get a lot more opportunity, and she just sees that.”
Joining Giles with double figures on Saturday was Ari Bleda, Camille Fultz and Emma Pavelek. Bleda recorded the sole double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds.
The Pioneers improved to a 2-6 MEC record and a 3-10 overall record, putting them 11th in the conference.
Point Park returns home on Wednesday at 1 p.m. to take on the Fairmont State Falcons, the winningest team in the MEC.
“They’re a well-oiled machine,” Scarborough said. “They consistently, every year, are top of our conference and competing for a national championship at the Division II level. So they are really tough to beat.”
The Falcons look to extend their three-game winning streak after recently taking the first-place spot in the MEC.
“Fairmont State is a really good team, but so are we,” Giles said. “I think that if we go out and play like we did last game, limit the mistakes that we can control, stay calm under pressure, and just compete, I believe that it will be a really good game.”
Scarborough shared how the Pioneers have room for improvement in regards to small mistakes.
“There’s just been little things that at this level, and especially in this conference,” Scarborough said. “Those little things are the difference between a win and a loss. Little things such as our turnovers every possession.
“We have to literally value every possession, whether on offensive or defense, like it’s [the] fourth quarter of a championship game.”
