WHEELING, W.Va. (Jan. 7) – The Wheeling University women's basketball team cruised to a 76-63 win over Alderson Broaddus to open the season Thursday night inside the McDonough Center.
 
The Cardinals (1-0) were led by All-American junior forward Lilly Ritz (Cambridge, Ohio/Cambridge) who posted a double-double of 23 points and 15 rebounds. Freshman guard Shanley Woods (Wheeling, W.Va./Wheeling Park) had a solid debut with 17 points, while senior guard Tori Harrison (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville) and freshman Macyn Siegenthaler (Wooster, Ohio/Wooster) each chipped in 11 points.
 
Wheeling opened up a 13-4 advantage five minutes into the contest, before the Battlers (0-1) closed the gap with a 9-1 run. The Cardinals managed to rebuild the lead to six on a pair of Woods' free throws and a trey near the horn by sophomore guard Emily Holzopfel (Rayland, Ohio/Buckeye Local) that made the score 18-12 at the first break.
 
Wheeling maintained the lead throughout the second period, including at times a double-digit advantage, and closed out the first half with a 6-2 spurt to take a 38-28 lead into the locker rooms.
 
The Cardinals put the game away in the third quarter. Wheeling amassed a 22-point lead by out-scoring the Battlers 26-to-14 to take a 64-42 advantage into the final quarter. The Cardinals led by as many as 24 points, before claiming a 13-point victory when the final buzzer sounded.
 
Alderson Broaddus' aggressive defense got it into trouble. The Battlers were whistled for 28 fouls, compared to the nine committed by Wheeling. The Cardinals were 18-of-26 (69 percent), while AB only shot 4-of-6 at the charity stripe.
 
Yolanda Florido led the Battlers with 14 points in the loss.
 
Alderson Broaddus was making its debut in the MEC. The event was the first ever in any sport by the Battlers as a member of the league.

The contest was played without spectators or fans.
 
Wheeling will hit the road on Sunday, January 10 when they take on Notre Dame (Ohio) in a league contest. Game-time is set for 2 p.m. and spectators are not permitted.