Indiana, PA -- West Virginia Wesleyan Women's Basketball tipped off their season Saturday night against Mansfield at the PSAC/MEC Challenge. The Lady Bobcats got a handful of strong performances, specifically from Brittany Stawovy and Malaika Kimmons, who were highlighted in the preseason as being handed increased roles this season. They sparked a 71-61 victory over the Mounties out of the PSAC, and it was a promising showing in the first game of the season for the team.

Stawovy shot the lights out from three-point territory on Saturday. The junior guard lived behind the line all night, draining six of ten threes and adding two free throws for a total of twenty points. That total was the game-high. Kimmons was terrific in all areas of the game in this one, putting together a double-double with twelve points and sixteeen rebounds. Seven of those rebounds were offensive, which gave her team an opportunity to clean up their missed shots and still turn them into points. She was also a pest on the defensive end, adding three steals. Senior Nicole Gilyard gave her usual steady and reliable performance, scoring fourteen points on 50% shooting and grabbing eight rebounds. It was a weird game in which the Lady Bobcats shot better from three than they did from the field, but it worked on Saturday night, and it actually may be a sign that they have a lot more potential to unlock.

Paige Whitfield was the best player on the floor for the Mounties. She had a strong game with nineteen points, eight rebounds, a block, and two steals. They will face Davis & Elkins on Sunday at 6 PM.

The second quarter was really where the advantage was gained for Wesleyan. The Lady Bobcats dominated that ten minutes to the tune of a 25-14 point differential, and they kept scoring out of the break, putting up 24 points in the third quarter. Mansfield only won three games all of last season, so Wesleyan needs to cash in their victory and quickly turn their attention onto Sunday. They get the opportunity to take on of the best teams in the country in IUP. The Crimson Hawks played in the national semifinals a year ago, and will be a great test for this young Lady Bobcats team. They started off the season strong against Mansfield, and will need similar shooting performances and bench depth on Sunday. That game will be played at 4 PM on the campus of IUP, and the Crimson Hawks' athletics website will provide live stats.