West Virginia Wesleyan women's basketball solidify position in MEC standings with Salem, Point Park wins

West Virginia Wesleyan showcased a balanced offensive effort against Salem, maintaining control throughout the game after allowing the Tigers to score the opening basket. The Bobcats led for the entire 40 minutes, stretching their advantage to as much as 29 points in the fourth quarter.

Emma Witt led the Bobcats with 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting while adding five rebounds and two assists. Sydney Baird and Lojain Elfatairy contributed 16 points each. Baird also had five assists and was 5-of-6 from the free-throw line, while Elfatairy grabbed six rebounds. Shelby Genes added 15 points, three assists, and four rebounds.

Salem's Cassandra Smith recorded a game-high 25 points, with two assists and four rebounds. Liliani Krause chipped in 16 points, one assist, and four rebounds.

West Virginia Wesleyan outperformed Salem in key statistical categories, shooting 45% from the field, 42% from three-point range, and 78% from the free-throw line while collecting 40 rebounds. Salem shot 41% overall, 28% from beyond the arc, and 33% from the free-throw line, finishing with 25 rebounds.

On Saturday, Witt dominated inside to lead the Bobcats to a 73-58 victory over Point Park, lifting Wesleyan to second in the Mountain East standings.

Witt scored 31 points, marking her third 30-point performance of the season, and shot 14-of-23 from the field. She also collected eight rebounds and four assists.

Desiree Roy reached the 1,000-point milestone in her career after her third basket of the game. She finished with 12 points, nine rebounds, and three assists. Baird contributed 11 points, three assists, and two rebounds, while Genes added 11 points, one rebound, and an assist.

Point Park was led by Ari Bleda with 16 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Alexis Giles added 15 points, while Camille Fultz had 13 points.

The game remained close through the first quarter, with Wesleyan holding a narrow 19-17 lead after a buzzer-beating layup from Baird. The Bobcats began pulling away in the second quarter, building a nine-point lead after Witt converted a three-point play with 3:40 left before halftime. Wesleyan entered the break leading 39-33 and maintained control for the remainder of the game.

The West Virginia Wesleyan women's basketball team (13-5) will face Wheeling University on Wednesday, Feb. 5, at 5:30 p.m. in the Rockefeller Center. Each team enters holding identical 8-4 MEC records, though the Bobcats currently hold the tiebreaker after defeating the Cardinals 71-59 earlier in the season. Admission is free.