INSTITUTE, W.Va. -- The West Virginia Wesleyan (6-10) women's basketball team advanced to the quarterfinal round of the Mountain East Conference Tournament with a convincing 100-84 victory over West Virginia State (8-8) at the Walker Convocation Center on Monday (March 1).
 
"Our players have been attentive at practice and it carried over," head coach Vicky Bullett said. "We had to get the ball up the court and be patient. They are believing that they can continue to grow in a short time."
 
Leaders for WVWC
A total of six Bobcats scored in double-figures. Abi Gabauer finished 10-for-12 from the field for a game-high 24 points while Symphonie Bryant-Brown delivered 20 points.
 
Brittany Stawovy put together a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds. The senior also distributed seven assists. Malaika Kimmons scored 13 points and hauled in eight rebounds. 
 
Leaders for West Virginia State
Alexis Hall led the Yellow Jackets with 15 points.
 
Team Stats
WVWC shot 51.4 percent (37-for-72) from the field and 21-for-25 from the free throw line. 
 
Inside the First Half
Stawovy dished the ball inside to Bryant-Brown for a layup to put the Bobcats ahead early 8-2 with 7:10 remaining in the first quarter. With 1:14 left in the opening frame, Stawovy drained a 3-pointer from straightaway as Wesleyan led 20-19 after one. 
 
A little less than 90 seconds into the second quarter, Gabauer connected on back-to-back shots from beyond the arc to force a WVSU timeout with the visitors leading 26-19. The Yellow Jackets took their first lead of the game (31-30) at the 5:50 mark after a Charity Shears layup. 
 
In the final minute of the opening half, Bryant-Brown stole the ball at half court and converted the layup on the other end. West Virginia State clung onto a 49-47 advantage at halftime. 
 
Inside the Second Half
Wesleyan fell behind by as many as six points in the third period, but ended the quarter strong. Gabauer banked in a layup to even the score at 65-65 with 1:04 left before the fourth quarter. A little over 30 seconds later, Cierra Tolbert made a layup to give the Bobcats a 67-65 lead heading into the final frame. 
 
Courtney Wilfong buried a left wing triple with 5:55 to go in regulation as WVWC was ahead 76-69. Another Gabauer bucket put the Bobcats up by double-digits (80-69) with 4:42 remaining. Wesleyan outscored West Virginia State, 33-19 in the fourth quarter to seal the 100-84 victory and move on to the next round of the MEC Tournament. 
 
"This has been an incredible journey and we are not done yet," Gabauer said. "It's so exciting that everyone on the team is involved. The bench was alive and our energy was great tonight. It was a team effort. I am so proud of this team. I am excited we are able to go to Wheeling and keep this journey moving together."
 
Up Next
WVWC women's basketball advances to WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, W.Va., to play Notre Dame (Ohio) in the MEC Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday, March 4 at 2 p.m.