WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. - - Host West Liberty outscored UVa-Wise 12-5 over the final 4:16 of play to claim a 78-73 Mountain East Conference women's basketball victory at the ASRC Thursday night. Senior forward Marissa Brown scored 29 points and corralled 13 rebounds while the victorious Hilltoppers canned 12 shots from beyond the 3-point line.

West Liberty (9-6, 6-3) took the lead for good when Morgan Brunner's 3-pointer with 4:16 remaining gave her team a 69-68 lead. The lead change was the last of 14 in the game as the schools traded buckets for the majority of the second half.

UVa-Wise (6-9, 4-5) would fall behind by as many as eight points before a quick 5-0 scoring spurt would cut the deficit to three. Cynita Webb would score two inside before an empty 'Toppers possession led to a 3-point bucket by Mackenzie King making it a 76-73 game with 90 seconds to play.

It would be as close as the Cavaliers would get as the hosts would force a turnover on the following UVa-Wise possession before making two free throws to seal the win.

UVa-Wise held a 36-35 lead at halftime behind 12 of Ada Stanley's team-high 25 points in the opening 20 minutes. The visitors held the lead despite West Liberty making 8-of-16 3-point attempts in the half.

The 'Toppers would push the lead to as many as six points in the third quarter behind the play of Brown. The senior scored 13 points in the quarter as part of her 29-point, 13-rebound outing.

The Cavs held a 68-66 lead with 4:25 to play after a free throw by Kalee Johnson but Beader's 3-pointer led to the decisive scoring run.

Webb posted her third consecutive double-double and eighth of the season with 13 points and 14 rebounds. UVa-Wise won the battle of the boards 45-to-30; 13 of the team's rebounds came on the offensive side of the ball as the Cavs scored 10 second chance points.

Brunner scored 19 points off the bench due in large part to her game-high five made 3-pointers, Audrey Tingle (12) and Beader (11) also registered double figure scoring for the 'Toppers.

Next up, UVa-Wise will visit Wheeling Jesuit in a 2 p.m. tip Saturday.