Buckhannon, W.Va. — In a battle between two of the top teams in the Mountain East Conference, West Virginia Wesleyan delivered, knocking off league-leading Glenville State, 86-74, Saturday afternoon inside Rockefeller Center.
 
The victory moves the Bobcats to 15-5 overall and 12-4 in MEC play, tightening the race near the top of the standings against a Glenville State squad that entered the day at 19-4 overall and 13-3 in conference action.
 
Wesleyan wasted little time asserting itself. Just 26 seconds in, Ana Young drilled a three-pointer off a Sydney Baird assist. Moments later, Emma Witt scored inside off a feed from Allie Daniels, giving the Bobcats early control.
 
The opening quarter belonged to Wesleyan, which shot a blistering 60 percent (9-of-15) from the floor and 60 percent (3-of-5) from beyond the arc to build a 23-14 advantage
 
The Bobcats extended their lead to double digits midway through the second quarter behind a defensive spark. Young's steal and fast-break finish at the 9:28 mark pushed the margin to 11, and Kilah Dandridge followed with a layup off another Young assist to make it 27-14.
 
When Witt scored inside at 3:37, the lead ballooned to 36-22. Wesleyan entered halftime up 43-29 after shooting 58.3 percent in the second quarter, establishing firm control against one of the MEC's most explosive offenses.
 
Glenville State, the MEC's top scoring team at 87.6 points per game, found its rhythm in the third quarter, knocking down four three-pointers and shooting 50 percent from deep in the period, but each Pioneer push was answered.
 
In the fourth, Glenville trimmed the margin to single digits briefly, but Wesleyan's poise at the foul line and inside dominance sealed the outcome. The Bobcats went 22-of-30 at the stripe overall and shot an efficient 54.7 percent from the floor for the game—a mark well above their conference-leading 51.6 percent field goal percentage entering the contest
 
The MEC's leading scorer, Emma Witt, delivered another double-double performance, finishing with 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting and pulling down 10 rebounds.
 
Young added 20 points and four steals. Daniels recorded 14 points and nine rebounds. Dandridge finished with 10 points and eight assists, contributing to a 22-assist team effort—a key factor in Wesleyan's conference-best 1.02 assist-to-turnover ratio
 
Wesleyan outrebounded Glenville State 37-27, a crucial edge against a Pioneer squad known for offensive pressure and high-volume shooting. The Bobcats entered the game ranked second in the MEC in rebounding margin (+7.4), and that advantage was evident throughout.
 
Defensively, Wesleyan held Glenville State nearly 13 points below its season average, limiting the league's top offense to 74 points while forcing 25 turnovers.
 
Glenville State was paced by Wonder Nkoyock's 17 points off the bench and Nwando Okigbo's 12-point effort in the paint. Stevi Yancy and Carine Pinkney added 11 and 10 points, respectively, as the Pioneers finished with 36 bench points and 46 points in the paint.
 
The Bobcats will look to carry energy forward as they continue their pursuit of a Mountain East Conference title with a home stand against the University of Charleston on Wednesday, Feb. 18 at 5:30 p.m.