INSTITUTE, W.Va. (Dec. 11) – Led by a double-double from sophomore forward Lilly Ritz (Cambridge, Ohio/Cambridge), the Wheeling University women's basketball team earned an 80-73 win over West Virginia State Wednesday evening inside the Walter Johnson Arena.
 
The Cardinals improve to 3-5 overall, 2-3 in the Mountain East Conference (MEC). Meanwhile, the Yellow Jackets fall to 1-4 in league play, 2-6 overall.
 
Ritz was nearly flawless, scoring a season-high 27 points on a perfect 10-for-10 from the field and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line. She also added 19 rebounds (four offensive) to register her fifth double-double this season.
 
Senior Taliah Cashwell (South Charleston, W.Va./South Charleston) posted 17 points, while senior forward Lauren Lipscomb (Columbus, Ohio/Pickerington North) added 16 points and eight rebounds.
 
A trey by Cashwell and a layup by Ritz allowed Wheeling to open up a 9-3 lead through five minutes of the contest. The Yellow Jackets gained momentum in the final five minutes of the first quarter, out-scoring the Cardinals 20-8 to take a 23-17 lead into the first intermission.
 
Wheeling sliced the lead down to one point on the heels of back-to-back buckets by Cashwell, before a three pointer by Lipscomb reclaimed the lead at 28-26 with 6:33 to play until halftime. The Cardinals continued to knock down shots and took its biggest lead of the first half at 38-30 with just over two minutes left in the second quarter. 
 
After emerging from halftime with a 38-33 lead, Wheeling went on to out-score West Virginia State 19-10 over the first several minutes of the third quarter to take a 57-43 lead.
 
The Yellow Jackets responded with nine-unanswered to draw within five, before a Lipscomb basket allowed Wheeling to take a 59-52 lead into the fourth quarter.
 
The Cardinals went on another run to re-establish a double-digit lead. Wheeling out-scored West Virginia State 13-4 over the first six minute of the fourth quarter to take a 72-56 advantage.
 
The Yellow Jackets managed to bring the contest all the way back to a five-point game in the final minute, but a pair of Ritz free throws in the final 30 seconds helped to put the game away.
 
Wheeling held a 56-to-43 advantage on the glass, including a season-high 11 (one offensive) from freshman guard Emily Holzopfel (Rayland, Ohio/Buckeye Local).
 
Charity Shears was the only player from West Virginia State in double figures, finishing with a game-high 33 points.
 
The Cardinals return home on Saturday, December 14 when they