WHEELING, W.Va. (Feb. 19) – Despite a 30-point, 17-rebound game from sophomore Lilly Ritz (Cambridge, Ohio/Cambridge), the Wheeling University women's basketball team was handed a 77-65 loss by Fairmont State Wednesday evening inside the McDonough Center.
 
The Cardinals slide to 9-16 overall, 8-11 in the Mountain East Conference (MEC). Meanwhile, the Falcons solidify their league record at 10-9, 13-12 overall.
 
Ritz posted her 20^th double-double of the season on 11-of-14 (79 percent) shooting from the floor and added four steals. She entered the night leading Division II with 15.4 rebounds per game.
 
Senior guard Khira Burton (Cincinnati, Ohio/Walnut Hills) finished with 12 points, classmate Taliah Cashwell (South Charleston, W.Va./South Charleston) chipped in 10, while fellow senior Lauren Lipscomb (Columbus, Ohio/Pickerington North) added nine. Burton, Cashwell and Lipscomb were playing in their final game on the McDonough Center court.
 
The first several minutes were played evenly, before Fairmont State went on a 13-5 run over the final three minutes of the first quarter to secure a 21-13 lead. The Falcons maintained a double-digit lead and went ahead by as many as 15, before taking a 39-26 lead into halftime.
 
Wheeling came roaring back in the third quarter. The Cardinals trailed 47-32 with 5:46 left in the period when they went on a 15-2 run that cut the lead down to two, 49-47, in the final 30 seconds of the third quarter. Fairmont State managed to curb momentum with a three at the buzzer that game the Falcons a five-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
 
The Cardinals got the deficit back to 52-50 with a pair scores by Ritz, but she picked up her fourth foul with 8:27 left in the game. Fairmont State took advantage of her absence and rebuilt its lead to double-digits over the next three minutes.
 
Wheeling managed to get as close as seven, 65-58, with 4:23 to play in the contest, but never any closer in the loss.
 
Both teams shot 40 percent from the field, but the Falcons managed to drain 7-of-15 (47 percent) from behind the arc. Wheeling was only 2-of-9 (22 percent) from distance in the game.
 
A trio of Falcons scored in double figures, led by Rachel Laskody's 18 points. She also finished with 13 rebounds.
 
The Cardinals will look to get back on track on Saturday, February 22 when they travel to Frostburg State for a MEC contest at 2 p.m.