WHEELING, W.Va. (Feb. 16) – A last-second shot by junior Taliah Cashwell (South Charleston, W.Va./South Charleston) propelled the Wheeling Jesuit University women's basketball team to a 71-70 win over West Virginia State Saturday afternoon inside the McDonough Center.
 
The win improves the Cardinals to 4-20 overall, 2-16 in the Mountain East Conference (MEC). Meanwhile, the Yellow Jackets fall to 4-14 in league play, 5-19 overall this season.

West Virginia State took a 70-69 lead with 27 seconds on the clock on a pair of free throws. Wheeling Jesuit ran the clock down to under 10 seconds and Cashwell attempted a three-point shot that rimmed out. Senior forward Chenelle Moore (Westerville, Ohio/Westerville South) collected the rebound and kicked the ball back out to Cashwell, who made good on the second attempt and put the Cardinals ahead at the horn.
 
Junior Lauren Lipscomb (Columbus, Ohio/Pickerington North) led the Cardinals with 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting. Junior guard Khira Burton (Cincinnati, Ohio/Walnut Hills) dropped 18 points, while freshman Peyton McCord (Mt. Vernon, Ohio/Mt. Vernon) tallied 10 points and five rebounds in 11 minutes of court time. Moore, playing in her second-straight game, finished with nine points and 10 rebounds in the win.
 
The Yellow Jackets opened the game with a 9-2 lead two minutes into the contest, before the Cardinals closed the period with a 27-5 run to take a 29-14 advantage. The Cardinals handled West Virginia State's full-court pressure well in the first quarter and connected on a handful of uncontested shots, going 12 of 14 from the field during the eight-minute spurt. Lipscomb led the way with 13 first quarter points, while making all three of her attempts from long range.
 
West Virginia State's pressure was more effective in second 10 minutes. The Cardinals were limited to 4-of-13 (30 percent) during the second quarter and saw their lead dwindle down to four, 37-33, when the teams went into the locker rooms for halftime. The Yellow Jackets held WJU without a point for the final three minutes of the second quarter and closed the half on a 17-4 run.
 
The Cardinals led 41-37 two minutes into the second half, when they went on a 16-7 run over the next six minutes to establish a 57-44 lead at the 1:48-mark of the third quarter. West Virginia State responded with nine-straight points to close out the period to slice the WJU lead to just three, 57-54, heading into the fourth quarter.
 
After the Yellow Jackets took their first-lead since the first quarter early into the final stanza, the Cardinals rallied back to take a 67-62 advantage with 4:28 left in the game. West Virginia State netted six-straight points to go ahead 68-67 with 1:11 left in the game.
 
Wheeling Jesuit forced 17 Yellow Jacket turnovers and converted for 23 points off of turnovers. The Cardinals were also credited with 21 assists in the win.

The win snapped a 17-game skid for the Cardinals.

The Cardinals will return to the McDonough Center floor on Wednesday, February 20 when they welcome league-leading Glenville State. The game was originally slated for Thursday, February 21, but was moved back one day. The opening tip will be at 5:30 p.m.