The Lady Pioneers placed a fitting cap on their perfect WVIAC regular season competition by defeating the Lady Senators of Davis & Elkins 95-56. The victory gives the Lady Pioneers an undefeated 18-0 WVIAC record. GSC had already sewn up the regular season WVIAC title with their victory over the University of Charleston on February 17th.
The Lady Pioneers dominated the Lady Senators, and Coach Harold was able to use his bench early and liberally as every single member of the Pioneer squad logged at least 15 minutes of court time. Rachel Redick only needed 18 minutes to score 16 points, which placed her firmly atop the WVIAC as the all-time leading scorer, with games yet to play this season. The Lady Pioneers led by 34 points at the half with a score of 58-24.
Rachel Redick's 16 points led the Pioneers, with Casey Taylor close behind with 14 points. Melanie Oliver was third on the team in scoring with 12 points, and her 11 rebounds led the team and gave her another double-double performance. Christina DiSabato and Mallory Menendez each tallied 11 points, and Donita Adams rounded out the Lady Pioneers in double-figure scoring with 10 points. Adams also pulled down 9 rebounds, and her 4 assists led the team in that category. Christy Alltop contributed 7 points, Lauren Strong 6 points, Casey Heller 5 points, Karina Kendrick 2 points, and Miranda Reed 1 point. The Lady Pioneers shot 48% from the floor, 37% from behind the arc, and 76% from the line. The GSC defense forced D & E into 19 turnovers.
The Lady Pioneers' success during the WVIAC regular season has earned them a first-round bye in the WVIAC tournament. They will play the winner of WV Wesleyan v. Salem International (#8 seed v. #9 seed) game. Wesleyan and Salem will play on Monday, and the Lady Pioneers will take on the victor this Wednesday at 6:30 pm at the Charleston Civic Center.
Lady Pioneers Make it Twenty in a Row
It was an emotional start to the game tonight, as Lady Pioneer seniors Christy Alltop, Rachel Redick, Lauren Strong, and Casey Taylor were honored for their time spent here at GSC. Senior guard Rachel Redick was also recognized by Governor Manchin as a "Distinguished Mountaineer," complete with an official proclamation delivered before the start of the game. Perhaps the emotions were to blame for the slow start seen soon thereafter, as it took the Lady Pioneers several minutes to settle into their game.
The game started with a missed shot by Christy Alltop and a quick turnover by Lauren Strong. A Bluefield State foul put Casey Taylor on the line to score GSC's first two points of the game. The Lady Blues quickly tied the score, then committed another foul to put Rachel Redick on the line. Redick hit the first, but missed the second to put the Lady Pioneers up by one. Bluefield State scored on their next trip down the court to take the lead, and they held on to that lead throughout the next eight minutes as the Lady Pioneers struggled to put the ball through the hoop. At the nine minute mark, Rachel Redick capitalized on a Bluefield State turnover to put GSC up by one with a score of 15-14. Bluefield State quickly answered to retake the lead, but Casey Taylor's shot from Redick's pass put the Lady Pioneers up for good, as they outscored Bluefield State 28-4 for the rest of the first half. The Lady Pioneers led by 25 at the half with a score of 45-20.
Bluefield State scored first as the second half opened, but the Lady Pioneers came out much stronger and managed to extend their lead into the 30-point range quickly off a Casey Taylor bucket, a three-pointer from Christy Alltop, and Rachel Redick's lay-up on the fast break after she stole the ball from the Bluefield State offense. The Lady Pioneers held their thirty-point plus edge throughout the next eight and a half minutes as Coach Harold started using his bench liberally. Both teams were still plagued by fouls and turnovers, but the Lady Blues were physically outmatched by the Lady Pioneers and wouldn't get closer than 27 points throughout the rest of the game. The four Pioneer seniors were greeted with rousing applause as they each headed to the bench for the last time in the waning minutes of the second half. The final score featured a twenty-eight point margin, 82-54.
Rachel Redick led all scorers with 20 points. She also contributed 4 assists, and was 10-12 from the line. Casey Taylor chipped in 18 points, led the team in rebounds with 7, and was a perfect 10-10 from the line. Christy Alltop added 10 points of her own, and also dished out 4 assists. Melanie Oliver also contributed 10 points. Lauren Strong led the team in assists with 6; she also scored 6 points and pulled down 6 rebounds. Karina Kendrick also scored 6 points and added 6 rebounds. Donita Adams added 8 points. The Lady Pioneers forced Bluefield State into 29 turnovers and tallied 15 steals for the night.
The Lady Pioneers travel to Elkins, WV this Saturday to take on Davis & Elkins in their final WVIAC regular season contest.
Lady Pioneers Make History with #3 National Ranking
The Lady Pioneers' hard work on the court is evident, as they faced three strong opponents last week in West Liberty State, Concord, and Charleston and easily handled all three. Those three victories helped move the Lady Pioneers up the national rankings list two spots, as they move from #5 to #3 in the latest USA Today/ESPN Division II Top 25 Coaches' Poll. To see the entire poll, please visit the WVIAC website by clicking here.
The move makes history, as GSC matches the highest ever national ranking for any WVIAC women's basketball team. The University of Charleston reached the #3 spot for one week late last year. Glenville State's previous highest national ranking was fourth. Glenville State has already clinched the WVIAC title.
Glenville State's Lady Pioneers are coached by Steve Harold. They are 16-0 in the WVIAC, with one more regular season conference match to play. They will face Bluefield State College this Thursday, February 22nd at home in Lilly Gymnasium. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 pm. The Lady Pioneers will honor their four seniors, Rachel Redick, Christy Alltop, Casey Taylor, and Lauren Strong before the game.
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