WHEELING, W.Va. (Feb. 1) – The Wheeling University women's basketball team outlasted Davis & Elkins for an 81-75 victory Saturday afternoon inside the McDonough Center.
The Cardinals push their win streak to a season-best three games and improve to 8-12 on the season, 7-7 in Mountain East Conference (MEC) play. Meanwhile, the Senators fall to 6-14 overall, 5-9 in the MEC.
Senior guard Taliah Cashwell (South Charleston, W.Va./South Charleston) led the Cardinals with 21 points and seven rebounds in the contest. Senior guard Khira Burton (Cincinnati, Ohio/Walnut Hills) and sophomore forward Lilly Ritz (Cambridge, Ohio/Cambridge) added 15 and 16 respectively in the win. Ritz also posted 12 rebounds, three steals and three blocks on the day.
The first quarter featured high scoring, with the teams combining for 46 points. Burton got off to a hot start with eight points in the opening four and a half minutes to help the Cardinals open up a seven-point lead. A Ritz steal and coast-to-coast lay-in pushed the lead to 18-9 halfway through the first, before the team headed into the second quarter ahead 26-20.
Wheeling maintained the lead through the first five minute of the second quarter, but Davis & Elkins battled back to take its first lead of the day at 36-35 with 4:45 until halftime. The Cardinals gained it right back minutes later when Cashwell nailed a corner trey for a 38-37 lead with just over two minutes until halftime. The lead changed hands two more times, before Wheeling heading into the locker rooms with a 42-39 lead.
Wheeling maintained the lead throughout the third quarter, but D&E kept the game tight. A baseline jumper from freshman guard
Emily Holzopfel (Rayland, Ohio/Buckeye Local) brought the lead to eight, 61-53, with 2:32 remaining in the period and the Cardinals heading into the fourth quarter with a 62-56 advantage.
The fourth quarter was owned by the Cardinals. They led by as many as 11 points did not allow the Senators to go on any runs. Wheeling converted 7-of-9 from the free-throw line over the final five minutes of the game and 16-19 overall to help secure the victory.
The Senators out rebounded the Cardinals 40-37 in the contest. Junior Jamiyah Johnson of the Senators totaled a game high 16 rebounds. She entered the game averaging the most rebounds in Division II. Sophomore Sydney Nestor totaled a team-high 16 points in the loss.
The Cardinals hit the road to face Charleston on Wednesday, February 5 for a game at 5:30 p.m.
