Morgan Arden scored a team-high 19 points and Cara Mason scored 16 to lead the Shepherd women's basketball team to a 68-65 win over West Virginia Wesleyan on Wednesday in a first-round game at the Mountain East Conference tournament at the Civic Center.
The tide turned for both the Rams (15-16) and Bobcats (6-20) in the third period, when Shepherd went 10 of 14 from the floor and held Wesleyan to 5-of-17 shooting, erasing the Bobcats' seven-point halftime lead.
"We came out and tried to make a statement and get back to doing the things we needed to do, and that was play together," Shepherd coach Jenna Eckleberry said of that third period. "Once we started playing Shepherd basketball, I like our chances against anybody."
Wesleyan gave Shepherd a scare near the end of the game, when Mason fouled the Bobcats' Stacy Remer on a made 3-point shot. Remer made the ensuing free throw and cut Shepherd's lead to 64-63 with 53 seconds left in the contest.
Remer scored 17 points with 10 rebounds for Wesleyan, while Tara Goldman led the Bobcats with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Mason added seven assists to her 16 points and four rebounds.
The Rams will face No. 2 seed Wheeling Jesuit at noon Thursday in the tournament quarterfinals.