BUCKHANNON, W.Va. – The Wheeling Jesuit women's basketball team forced 26 turnovers and scored 22 points in the first 10 minutes of play, including the first seven points of the game en route to a 62-48 victory over West Virginia Wesleyan College Sunday afternoon. Mariah Callen netted a three point shot just nine seconds into play before Chenelle Moore converted a layup off a steal and assist by Kylie Frizell, stretching the WJU lead to five.

The Cardinals (11-2, 6-1 Mountain East Conference) capitalized on the Bobcats' (1-9, 0-7 MEC) 26 turnovers. WJU managed to score 31 points off turnovers, compared to the Bobcats 15 points. Senior forward Taylor Lubinsky led the Cardinal defense with four steals, while six other Cardinals recorded at least one steal in the game.

"It was a very balanced team effort and our defensive intensity was excellent," head coach Debbie Buff stressed. "We received balanced scoring and shared the ball extremely well. We were very unselfish and I am proud of our effort."

WJU held an eight-point lead at the intermission. Bryant notched seven first half points to go along with five rebounds. Jaana Motton tallied four boards and four points in the first 20 minutes of play.

The Bobcats scored the first four points of the third quarter, cutting the Cardinal lead in half. WJU responded and scored the next 10 points, four from both Bryant and Motton. The Cardinal lead grew to 14 with 5:08 remaining off a Motton jumper.

Callen netted a pair of free throws at the end of the third period to give the Cardinals a 17-point cushion heading into the final quarter.

The largest lead of the game, 20 points (56-36), came off a made free throw by Frizell with 7:52 remaining in the game. The teams battled back and forth, before the Cardinals clung to their lead, winning by a score of 62-48.

Bryant led the Cardinals with 13 points, while she pulled down nine rebounds, dished out five assists, and swiped two steals. Callen added 12 points on 3-6 shooting to go along with her two rebounds and two steals. Frizell rounded out the double-digit scoring for the Cardinals with her 10 points. She added five rebounds, two assists, and two steals to her total.

Moore and Motton each tallied eight points. Moore collected four rebounds, while Motton grabbed six. Freshman Damonique Patterson turned in a balanced stat line consisting of five points, four boards, two assists, and one steal.