First-year head coach Nate Frese got his first crosstown rivalry win against Liberty on Dec. 9. In a tight, defensive battle, West came up on top 42-40. While the Trojans couldn’t make many things happen in the paint, they got the job done from beyond the arc.

Almost a minute into the game, West scored first with a three. Liberty bounced back but with a Meena Tate ’23 three and two free throws by Anna Prouty ’23, West was up 11-9 with 1:30 left in the first quarter. Freshman Grace Fincham laid the ball in at the last second to give the Trojans a 4-point lead heading into the second quarter.

Melae Lacy ’24 blocked a Liberty shot, giving the opportunity for Keiko Ono-Fullard ’23 to hit a three at the other end. Another block, this time by Carolyn Pierce ’23, got the ball to Ono-Fullard who then kicked it back out to Pierce to hit the three. Liberty answered back with a quick layup but with a Tate jumper, West was up 21-13 with about three minutes left in the half. Ono-Fullard’s move to the basket put the Trojans up 25-18 to end the half.

Prouty made another free throw, but Liberty went on a 7-0 run. Lacy finished a layup through traffic, putting the score at 28-25 West. An Ono-Fullard steal led to a long possession by West ending in a Prouty put-back as the shot clock expired. The teams went back and forth, but even after a Lucy Wolf ’24 block, Liberty was up 33-32 at the end of the quarter.

The fourth quarter was a defensive showdown. Not long into the fourth quarter, Tate went to the line and made both free throws. Wolf got a steal and with a head fake, hit the jumper. With the crowd fired up, Tate made a floater with 2:30 left in the fourth quarter. The Trojans were up 42-36 with a minute left, but Liberty was able to put a few points on the board. However, it wasn’t enough and the Trojans won 42-40.

You can catch the team next Tuesday, Dec. 13 in the Main Gym vs. Dubuque Wahlert at 7:30 p.m.

Gallery • 3 Photos

Isabella Tisdale

Meena Tate '23 passes the ball to her teammates