WHEELING, W.Va. - For the first time under the direction of head coach Debbie Buff, the Cardinal women's basketball team reached the 20-win mark, as they defeated the University of Virginia's College at Wise 71-60 Thursday night.
Senior guard Jaila Bryant had a memorable night of her own. The Pickerington, Ohio native climbed into the sixth spot on the Cardinals all-time scoring list with her season high 22 points. Bryant has now scored in double figures in 14 consecutive games.
Fellow senior Taylor Lubinsky also notched her season high in points, 12, to go along with two boards and an assist.
"We knew coming in with six games remaining that every win would be crucial," head coach Debbie Buff stressed. "We got into a little bit of foul trouble early but played lock down defense in the second half. Lydia gave us excellent minutes off the bench and I thought Jaila, Chenelle and Taylor played great. UVa-Wise is a very good rebounding team, so to outrebound them 36-20 was a very good performance."
The Cardinals (20-3, 15-2 Mountain East Conference) stormed to an early lead in the first quarter, 5-0 out of the gate. The Cavaliers of UVa-Wise (10-11, 6-11 MEC) trailed WJU by 10, 24-14, after the first 10 minutes of play. Bryant scored seven consecutive points for the Cardinals midway through the quarter to aid the early Cardinal lead.
UVa-Wise had a brief answer for the Cardinals in the second quarter, as they won the quarter 17-12. Freshman Chenelle Moore finished the first half with a near double-double, 10 points and nine boards to go along with three steals and two assists. Bryant added seven points on 3-3 shooting.
UVa-Wise took its first lead of the game, 37-36, with 7:44 remaining in the third quarter off a pair of free-throws by Taylor Sandidge. The Wise lead grew to three before WJU scored 14 of the next 16 points to regain the lead, 52-43.
WJU began the fourth quarter with a five-point advantage. The Cardinal lead grew to double figures, 59-49, off of a Moore layup assisted by Mariah Callen with 6:47 remaining. Callen knocked down a trey of her own with 2:22 remaining to regain the 11-point margin that WJU would go on to win by.
Jaila Bryant led all scorers with her 22 points. She also collected six caroms and dished out two assists. Chenelle Moore turned in her fourth double-double of the season, 12 points and a game high 14 boards. She also handed out three helpers and swiped four steals. Taylor Lubinsky was the third Cardinal in double figures with her 12 points.
Mariah Callen supplied WJU with eight points, four rebounds, and three assists. Cassi Stein shot 2-2 from behind the arc to gather her six points. Damonique Patterson added five points and two steals in seven minutes of play. Kylie Frizell, Jaana Motton, and Lydia Hyburg all contributed two points on the night.
WJU continues its home stretch on Saturday, February 13 against Concord University. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m.
