Box Score WHEELING, W.Va.---The Wheeling Jesuit women's basketball team played host to Fairmont State University on Thursday evening at the Alma Grace McDonough Center. The Cardinals (4-5, 1-4 WVIAC) fell 67-62 on a second half comeback by Falcons (6-3, 4-1 WVIAC).

“We competed well with the preseason No. 1 pick in the conference,” said Head Coach Debbie Buff. “We had some miscues on defense down the stretch. We need to learn how to finish against some of the top teams in the conference.”
  
The Cardinals were led by Breanna Butler's 17 points. Jamie Sobczak followed with 13 points, and Taylor Lubinsky rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points. Alex Anderson provided a team-high eight rebounds and chipped in eight points.
 
Wheeling Jesuit had the hot hand in the first half, connecting with 12-for-28 (43 percent) shots from the field which included a 4-for-9 (44 percent) performance from beyond the arc and a 6-for-7 (86 percent) effort from the free throw line. On the other side of the court, Fairmont was 10-of-30 (33 percent) from the floor, 2-of-7 (29 percent) from deep and 1-of-4 (25 percent) from the charity stripe. In the second half the momentum stayed on the same side of the court, but this time it was Fairmont's side. The Falcons shot 15-for-25 (60 percent) from the floor which included a 5-for-7 (71 percent) effort from deep. 
 
In the first half, the Cardinals established an early lead. Jesuit continued to play ahead of the visitors until Fairmont capitalized on back-to-back turnovers. Jesuit quickly regained the lead, 18-17, and the two teams traded buckets. After a pair of Fairmont turnovers, Jesuit used a 10-2 run for a 28-19 advantage with 4:40 left in the first half. Taylor Lubinsky and Breanna Butler closed out the half with back-to-back shots from long distance, giving the Cardinals a 34-23 halftime lead.
 
After the break, Fairmont opened with a layup and continued to capitalize on Cardinal miscues, regaining the lead 41-40 with 14:30 showing on the clock. Jesuit retaliated with a 12-5 run, establishing a 54-46 advantage by the 8:20 mark, causing the Falcons to spend a timeout. After the FSU timeout, the Falcons retaliated with an 8-0 run to tie the game at 54 with 5:07 remaining. The two teams traded 3-pointers and a back-and-forth battle began. With 51 seconds remaining, a Fairmont layup gave the Falcons a 2-point advantage, 63-61, and four consecutive free throws at the end of the game secured the win for the Falcons.
 
Kaitlin Snyder notched 23 points to lead the Falcons, and Briana Welch followed with 14 points. Tiffany Nicholson and Hailey Garrett scored 13 and 11, respectively.
 
Wheeling Jesuit will be back in action on Saturday, January 5 in Greensburg, Pa. against Seton Hill University. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.