Box Score  Â
   West Virginia State head women's basketball coach
David Smith new this year's team had a long way to go after last season's 8-20 finish.
   But with almost everyone back he also knew the Jackets might be just a player or two away from a big season.
   And he was willing to go a long way to find a player who could help.
   All the way to Europe as a matter of fact.
   It paid off Friday night as Hungarian born
Laura Szorenyi led a balanced attack in an 80-69 Yellow Jacket win over visiting Clarion in an opening day game in the Wingate MEC-PSAC Challenege.
  The 5-foot-10 freshman led the squad with 23 points, pulled down seven rebounds, and had five assists.
  "I was nervous, especially since it was a home game," Szorenyi said. "I was scared about myself, we play a much more aggressive game (back home) and here you can hardly touch anybody."
   Shae Hines also had a strong outing as she finished with 15 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.Â
Alexus Hobbs pulled down a team high 12 rebounds while scoring 11 points.Â
Junior Shealyn Shafer added 16 points and Rachel Ward 10. Point guard Deyahnna Styles missed the game due to an injury.   WVSU led from the early going and held a 23-14 lead after one quarter. Clarion managed to tie it up at 31-31 late in the second quarter but a Trina Current bucket just before the break gave the Yellow Jackets a narrow 33-31 halftime advantage.
   The Yellow Jackets widened the lead to 50-45 after three quarters then pulled away gradually in the fourth.
  Szorenyi's play was a constant bright spot throughout. She sliced through the lane scoring as easily with one hand as the other, hit a couple of pull-up jumpers in the lane and even dropped in a 3-pointer for good measure.
   All the while playing a strong floor game with just one turnover in 36 minutes of action.
  "I could have done better," Szorenyi said. "But it's a win."
   WVSU now faces Edinboro at 2 p.m. Sunday on the final day of the Challenge.
                                
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