WHEELING, W.Va. (Feb. 17) – A dominant defensive effort helped the Cardinals earn an 81-49 win over Frostburg State Wednesday inside the McDonough Center.
 
The Wheeling University women's basketball team improves to 7-6 overall, while the Bobcats drop to 2-8 on the season.
 
Junior forward Lilly Ritz (Cambridge, Ohio/Cambridge) posted her 28^th-straight double-double with 21 points and 21 rebounds (four offensive). She also added three assists and a block to her final line.
 
Sophomore forward Lauren Calhoun (Ravenna, Ohio/Ravenna) established a career-high with 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting. Freshman guard Shanley Woods (Wheeling, W.Va./Park) knocked down four treys on six attempts to finish with 12 points.
 
Frostburg State took its first and only lead of the evening at 2-0 two minutes into the game. Wheeling answered with 15-straight points, including eight from Ritz, to take a 15-2 lead with 4:13 to play in the first quarter. The Cardinals eventually closed the opening period out with a 22-9 lead.
 
The Bobcats had their best run of the night in the second quarter. The visitors managed to out-score Wheeling 15-6 to get the deficit down to four, 28-24, halfway through the quarter. The Cardinals responded with an overwhelming 13-1 run to close out the half and take a 41-25 lead into the locker rooms.
 
Wheeling built its lead to 18, 48-30, three minutes into the second half. The Cardinals seemingly put the game away with 12-straight points, including treys by both Woods and freshman Haley Cox (Grove City, Ohio/Central Crossing) to amass a 59-30 advantage.
 
The Cardinals led by more than 25 points throughout the fourth quarter and cruised to the 32-point victory.
 
Wheeling shot 33 of 61 (54 percent) and limited Frostburg State to just 18 of 63 (29 percent) from the field. 
 
The Cardinals dominated the glass. Wheeling finished with a 50 to 28 rebound advantage and held the Bobcats to just four second-chance points.
 
Rhiana Hall led Frostburg State with 13 points.
 
The Cardinals are back on the McDonough Center floor on Saturday, February 19 when they welcome No. 24 Notre Dame (Ohio) at 2 p.m.