Box Score West Liberty, W.Va. – Four Wheeling Jesuit players scored in double digits as Wheeling Jesuit Women's Basketball recovered from a 10 point deficit to upset crosstown rival West Liberty 82-76.
Junior guard
Jaila Bryant led the Cardinals with 22 points. Bryant made 14 of 22 foul shot attempts, had seven rebounds, and added six steals and three assists in the win.
Junior guard
Breanna Butler made 3 of 4 three-point attempts and hit 10 of 10 from the foul line to add 21 points of her own. Butler also added five rebounds and three assists for the Cardinals.
Freshman guard
Mariah Callen made 6 of 11 field goals and went 3 of 4 from the foul line in her first action against West Liberty. Callen finished the game with four rebounds and two assists.
Sophomore forward
Jaana Motton rounded out the double digit scoring on the evening. Motton connected on 4 of 6 from the field and pulled down three rebounds for 10 points.
Despite outshooting West Liberty 54.5% to 44.1% in the first half, the Hilltoppers took a 42-37 lead into the intermission.
The difference in the game was West Liberty's inability to hit three-pointers, a hallmark of their offensive philosophy. West Liberty shot 41 three-pointers, but connected on only 15.
WJU outshot West Liberty in the second half 44.4% to 33.3%.
As West Liberty was going stone cold from beyond the arc, Jesuit played tough and recovered from a 10 point deficit to outscore the Hilltoppers 45-34 in the second half and walk away with a resounding upset of West Liberty 82-76.
"Leading up to the game tonight against West Liberty we had our best three practices as a team this year. We were resilient when we were down by 10 points. We followed the game plan and it was a total team win," stated Head Coach Deb Buff.
The last time Wheeling Jesuit beat West Liberty was the game played in February of 2007.
The win pushes the Cardinals' overall record to 9-5 and 6-4 in the Mountain East Conference. The loss drops West Liberty to 11-6 overall and 8-3 in the MEC.
Wheeling Jesuit Women's Basketball returns to action this Saturday when it hosts Notre Dame College for a 4pm tipoff in the McDonough Center on the campus of Wheeling Jesuit University.
