WHEELING, W.Va. – The West Virginia State University women's basketball team advanced to the quarterfinals of the Mountain East Conference Tournament with a victory over West Liberty, 64-54, on Wednesday afternoon at the WesBanco Arena. The Yellow Jackets picked up their tenth win of the season by defeating the eighth-seeded Hilltoppers.

Sophomore forward Chloe Cheresne dominated in the post with 27 points and 10 rebounds, recording her fifth double-double of the season. She also knocked down two three-pointers. Fellow sophomore Sierra Womack followed up with 14 points and five boards. Freshman guard Hannah Shriver made four steals in the contest.

West Virginia State pulled out in front in the latter half of the first quarter with an 11-2 run. The stretch started with a three-point play by Womack and ended with a fastbreak layup from Shriver. The Yellow Jackets led by seven points, 17-10, at the conclusion of the first period.

The Yellow Jackets went up by as much as 12 points, 24-12, at the beginning of the second period. West Liberty then pushed back with an 8-0 run that closed the gap to four points, 24-20, with five minutes left until halftime.

West Virginia State had the last word of the first half with a pair of treys from Alexis Hall and Chloe Cheresne. WVSU subsequently gained a 10-point advantage, 33-23, at the break.

Both teams struggled to put points on the board in the third quarter. West Liberty barely outscored West Virginia State, 13-10, to cut the deficit to seven points, 43-36, going into the fourth quarter.

The Hilltoppers tried fouling Cheresne in the fourth period to keep her from making easy layups under the basket. Their strategy proved to be counterproductive as she proceeded to convert 10-of-10 free-throw attempts. The Yellow Jackets ended up winning by a 10-point margin.

West Liberty chose to live or die by the three-point shot. The Hilltoppers chucked up 44 shots from behind the arc and made only nine of those shots. West Virginia State effectively kept them off balance by forcing 21 turnovers in the game.

The Yellow Jackets will play again tomorrow against the No. 1 seed in the MEC Tournament, Glenville State. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.