Glenville has opened a gaping four-game lead in the Mountain East Conference women’s basketball standings. The once-beaten Pioneers were 12-0 in the league beginning the week and held a substantial lead over both Notre Dame (8-4) and Urbana (8-4). Shepherd resided in seventh place with a 5-7 conference record, the same as Charleston’s mark. The Rams were 9-9 overall before playing Wednesday at West Liberty and returning home tomorrow to face Wheeling Jesuit, a team with a 6-6 conference record on Monday.

Unbeaten West Liberty and its 17-0 overall record and 12-0 mark within the Mountain East Conference was two games ahead of Wheeling Jesuit (14-3 overall and 10-2 in the MEC) and Fairmont (14-4 overall and 10-2 in the league). The Fighting Falcons had won seven straight games.

West Virginia State was 8-4 in conference, with Shepherd standing fifth with a 7-5 league mark. The Rams were 11-7 overall.

Last week, the Shepherd women defeated West Virginia Wesleyan, 65-47, with Morgan Arden scoring 26 points and Sydney Clayton getting 11 points and taking down nine rebounds.

The Rams led 52-36 after three quarters.

Also last week, the Rams fell to homestanding Fairmont, 71-58. Shepherd’s Kari Lankford had 21 points and 10 rebounds. She was 8-for-9 from the field. Fairmont held a 36-26 lead at the the half and advanced that lead to 50-40 after three quarters. Shepherd committed 21 turnovers.

The Shepherd men edged West Virginia Wesleyan, 63-58, at the Butcher Center. AJ Carr scored 16 points as the Rams overcame a 34-30 halftime lead held by the Bobcats.

The Rams took a 51-50 lead at the 8:38 mark and never trailed thereafter.

At Fairmont, the Fighting Falcons defeated the Rams, 81-66, to end Shepherd’s eight-game winning streak.

Thomas Lang paced the Shepherd scorers with 17 points and Derek McKnight totaled 14 points.

Fairmont held a 36-29 lead by halftime. Shepherd was only 3-for-21 from three-point range. Fairmont was 31-for-62, or 50 percent, from the field. The Fighting Falcons had a 38-28 rebounding advantage.

After visiting unbeaten West Liberty this past Wednesday, the Rams are home tomorrow at 4 p.m. against second-place Wheeling Jesuit.