West relied on several players. Salisbury relied on one.

And that one, Sherree Gillespie, wasn’t enough.

The Falcons overcame Gillespie’s 33 points by running and running and running some more in a 69-48 nonconference victory.

Angie Waddell’s Falcons broke the game open after halftime, outscoring Salisbury by 19.

“It took us a while to get into the flow,” said Waddell, who saw nine different players score. “In the second half, we picked up the intensity.”

And also put the clamps on the 5-11 Gillespie, who dominated the first half. She scored 22 in the first two periods, including a long three-pointer at the end of the first quarter.

But in the second, she scored only 10 and didn’t hit her first basket until the three-minute mark of the fourth quarter. By that time, West was up by 25.

“She just got tired,” sighed Salisbury coach Jennifer Shoaf. “After awhile, with two, three people tugging on her, and her realizing her teammates weren’t stepping up and doing their part, she got worn out.”

West began taking control in the third quarter when it started Waddell’s patented defensive pressure. And also by changing strategy on Gillespie. A 30-28 lead quickly mounted.

“We knew she had a lot of points so we went to a 2-3 zone and when she got the ball, everyone collapsed on her,” Waddell said. “In the first half, we were playing man-to-man and she was taking it to us.”

West’s aggressive defense unleashed too much of Kari Schenk and Sara Pieper for the Hornets to handle.

Schenk, a senior, raced down the lane time and again for swooping layups. Pieper did just about everything else, grabbing rebounds, dishing for pretty assists and penetrating the lane for open jumpers.

Schenk finished with 20 but it was Pieper’s 17 and all-around performance that had both coaches lauding her play.

“Pieper had a fantastic game,” Waddell praised. “She was having fun out there. She’s an excellent passer and has a beautiful shot. She’s a hustler.”

“Kari is Kari,” Shoaf shrugged. “She’s going to get hers. But Pieper was the one who broke our backs tonight. She stepped up and I was a little surprised. I thought it would be (Kate)Goodman.”

Pieper’s 10 first-half points helped offset Gillespie, who helped Salisbury stay within 30-28 at halftime.

Although she had 22 of the 30, the other Hornets were at least shooting the ball and trying to take up some of the slack.

“I’ve got them to shoot,” Shoaf said. “Now we’ve got to make them.

Even with the misses, Salisbury hun g tough, prompting Shoaf to say, “The first half, we couldn’t have played any better.”

But the second half? It was over quickly.

Salisbury didn’t score its first second half bucket until the 2:43 mark in the third quarter on Jenny Reilly’s jumper in the lane. By that time, Schenk had scored eight in the period and West’s lead was 47-36. Pieper’s short jumper quickly upped the lead to 13 going into the fourth.

“They went on that run and it was like a blanket pulled down over our head,” Shoaf said. “We just freaked out. We got the jitters. That’s when you saw our inexperience and nerves take over.”

It got no better in the fourth as West ran off the first 12 points for a 63-38 advantage, the last three on a long bomb by Kristen McNeely.

Salisbury did finish the game on a 10-6 run, eight by Gillespie.

But the second half defense kept Salisbury at a distance. Even with a big lead, the Falcons were diving on the floor for loose balls.

“It shows they really want it,” said Waddell, “and it keeps (the coaches) happy.”

n

NOTES: Shoaf was pleased with Reilly, who scored eight points. ... Despite a heavy brace on her injured knee, West senior Ashley Shaver scored on her first shot attempt. ... Jenny Sloop came off the bench to score six.

SALISBURY (48) — Gillespie 33, Reilly 8, Robinson 4, Charleston 2, Chunn 1.

WESTROWAN (69) — Schenk 20, Pieper 17, Wansley 8, Goodman 6, Sloop 6, Scearce 5, McNeely 3, Honeycutt 2, Shaver 2.

Salisbury 17 11 10 10 — 48