Point Park women’s basketball lost to West Virginia Wesleyan on Friday afternoon, 65-46, ending the Pioneers’ two-game winning streak. With this loss, Point Park drops to 2-10 in conference play and 5-12 overall.
Senior Camille Fultz led the Pioneers in scoring with 12 points. She was followed by freshman Kamryn Pieper, who had 10 points for her season high and one of her best games of the season. Another freshman, Kiyana Larocque, provided great defense and hustling plays, grabbing a team-high three offensive rebounds and seven rebounds total.
Point Park led by one after the first quarter as Fultz scored six points in the first and secured a big momentum block on West Virginia Wesleyan’s Emma Witt, the Mountain East Conference’s leading scorer.
The Pioneers saw big contributions in the second quarter from freshman Kamryn Pieper and senior Lucia Hervia, who combined for 11 points and three assists.
A key factor early on for the Pioneers was the defensive performance from Fultz and Pieper on Witt, who was held to only six points and 3-9 field-goal success in the first half, an uncharacteristic stat line for the top scorer in the MEC.
At halftime, coach Dave Scarborough spoke highly of Pieper’s standout performance.
“[Pieper has] always been a great defender with her length and her natural ability to recover with her length,” Scarborough said. “I am just really impressed with some of her takes against a veteran team, stronger team as a freshman, so [I’m] very happy for her.”
Point Park led 35-34 at halftime. The team pulled this off without star center Elizabeth Boyd, who sat out in the second quarter due to foul trouble in the opening frame.
Point Park struggled to score in the second half. The Pioneers only scored six points in the third quarter, while the opposition Bobcats went on to extend the lead to 14 going into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Pioneers struggled with turnovers and fell at the hands of the Bobcats 65-46, ending their two-game winning streak and leaving them with 10 losses in conference play.
“They came out just way more aggressive,” Pieper said. “Our mistakes led to their points.”
Despite the loss, Pieper had an impressive game. She ended with a career-high 10 points, along with four rebounds, two assists and a block.
“My three’s were starting to hit, thanks to [assistant] coach [Kaitlyn] Carr,” Pieper said. “She’s been in the gym with me working on my footwork and just being more confident in it, [getting] more reps [and] just getting better.”
After the loss, the Pioneers defeated Davis & Elkins in Elkins, W. Va., on Monday 86-66 for a season sweep. Entering the game, Alexis Giles was only three points away from moving to 16th place for all-time scoring in Point Park history. She scored 20 points, earning her way into that 16th-place spot.
Point Park returns home to face Glenville State today at 5:30 p.m.
