WHEELING, W.Va. (Dec. 14) – The Wheeling University women's basketball team was handed a 75-43 by Charleston Saturday afternoon at the McDonough Center.
 
The Cardinals drop to 2-4 in the Mountain East Conference (MEC), 3-6 overall. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles improve to 8-2 overall, 5-1 in league play.
 
Sophomore forward Lilly Ritz (Cambridge, Ohio/Cambridge) led Wheeling with 20 points and 14 rebounds. Senior guard Taliah Cashwell (South Charleston, W.Va./South Charleston) added 13 points in the loss.
 
Wheeling scored the first points of the game, but 12-unanswered by the Golden Eagles pushed them out in front with 3:31 to play in the first quarter. The Cardinals answered back with a 9-3 run to close out the period and head into the second quarter trailed 15-13.
 
Charleston locked down defensively and gave Wheeling fits with its full-court pressure. The Cardinals were out-scored 13-2 in the period and entered halftime trailing 28-15.
 
The Golden Eagles' full-court pressure, coupled with dynamic shooting from long range, allowed Charleston to cruise to the win in the second half. UC converted 8-of-11 three point attempts in the second half to pull away for the victory.
 
Charleston owned a 52-to-33 advantage on the glass and shot 14-of-24 (58 percent) from long range in the game.
 
The Golden Eagles were led by Dakota Reeves, who knocked down 10-of-13 from beyond the arc to score 30 points.
 
Wheeling returns to action on Tuesday, December 17 for an early non-conference tilt at Gannon in Erie, Pennsylvania. The opening-tip is set for 11:30 a.m.