WHEELING, W.Va. (Feb. 27) – Junior forward
Lilly Ritz (Cambridge, Ohio/Cambridge) eclipsed 1,000-career points, as the Wheeling University women's basketball team knocked off West Liberty 84-74 on Senior Day at the McDonough Center Saturday afternoon.
The win improves Wheeling to 8-8 on the season and clinches the No. 2 seed in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) North Division for the Cardinals in the upcoming conference tournament. Wheeling will face South Division No. 3 seed Concord in a quarterfinal game on Thursday, March 4 at the WesBanco Arena in downtown Wheeling. Meanwhile, the Hilltoppers drop to the No. 3 seed and finish the regular season at 8-8 overall.
Ritz became the 28
th player in Cardinal history to reach 1,000 career points, accomplishing the feat in just two seasons. She finished with 29 points and 21 rebounds for her 31
st-straight game with a double-double.
Freshman guard
Shanley Woods (Wheeling, W.Va./Park) posted 14 points. Sophomore guard
Emily Holzopfel (Rayland, Ohio/Buckeye Local) finished with 11 points, while sophomores
Maura Castelluci (Bridgeville, Pa./South Fayette) and
Lauren Calhoun (Ravenna, Ohio/Ravenna) each chipped in 10 points in the win.
There was little to separate the two rivals in the first quarter, as West Liberty took a 16-15 lead into the second quarter. The Cardinals built momentum in the second period and managed to build and take a seven-point lead into halftime, 37-30.
Wheeling took its largest lead of the third quarter on a Holzopfel jump shot with 5:13 at 48-37. West Liberty got as close as 61-55 in the fourth quarter, but the Cardinals never allowed the Hilltoppers to get any closer.
Led by Ritz, the Cardinals controlled the glass. Wheeling held a sizeable 52 to 33 advantage on the glass.
West Liberty finished the game shooting 9-of-29 (31 percent) from long range, while Wheeling converted 5-of-12 (48 percent) of its attempts.
Wheeling will now look towards the postseason and the MEC Tournament. The Cardinals will face South Division No. 3 seed Concord in a quarterfinal game on Thursday, March 4 at the WesBanco Arena in downtown Wheeling at 8 p.m.
