WHEELING, W.Va. – The Wheeling Jesuit women's basketball team prevailed over West Virginia State University, 62-56, on Wednesday night. WJU and WVSU were tied six different times over the 40 minutes of play. The Cardinals finished the fourth quarter on a 6-0 run, and went on to win by six points.
The Cardinals managed to outscore the Yellow Jackets 32-12 off the bench, including 12 points from junior forward Jaana Motton, and eight points from both Damonique Patterson and Kylie Frizell.
"I am very proud of our effort, poise, and discipline to get us to 10 wins and the best start in my time here at WJU," head coach Debbie Buff stressed. "It was truly a team victory from top to bottom. We had energy on the floor for 40 minutes, and our bench gave us a big lift with 32 points."
The Cardinals (10-2, 5-1 Mountain East Conference) erased an early 9-0 Yellow Jacket (5-7, 2-4 MEC) lead in the first quarter. Frizell received a pass from Motton and netted a three-point shot with 47 seconds remaining to tie the contest at 13. Jaila Bryant converted a three-pointer of her own with three seconds remaining to take a 16-15 lead after one quarter of play.
The two teams scored 13 points apiece in the second period, and WJU held its one point lead heading into the break. The Cardinals took a six-point lead with 1:14 remaining in the third off of a made free throw by Bryant.
The fourth quarter began with an exchanging of baskets by the Cardinals and Yellow Jackets. The game became tied for the sixth time with 4:11 remaining. The Cardinals finished on 6-0 run over the final four minutes of play to win the contest 62-56.
Jaila Bryant led the Cardinal offense with 18 points, seven rebounds, three blocks, and one steal. The Pickerington, Ohio native is now averaging 15.4 points per game. Motton added six rebounds, one assist, and one steal to her 12 points. Frizell pulled down three boards to go with her eight points. Sophomore guard Mariah Callen tallied six points, while Chenelle Moore and Taylor Lubinsky each added four.
The Cardinals return to action on January 10 when they travel to West Virginia Wesleyan College. The contest is scheduled to begin at 2 pm.
