West Liberty, W. Va. – The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (3-11, 3-7) went on top of the hill Saturday to face their rival West Liberty University. It was a big day for a pair of Cardinal shooters, but it wasn't enough as they fell to the Hilltoppers 110-73. The Cardinals totaled 49 second-half points, but the early offense from the Hilltoppers was too much for Wheeling to overcome.

From the start of the game, it was West Liberty who was showing all of the offensive prowess, scoring 13 of the first 15 points in the game. The run lasted the first four minutes of the game, and during that time only Lauren Calhoun and Shamia Strayhorn had got on the board. Wheeling would get two more points from Calhoun on a jumper, but the Hilltoppers went off again scoring six consecutive points and extending their lead to 21-6. The Hilltoppers scored 32 points in that first quarter of play and Wheeking allowed them to shoot over 50% from the field. Wheeling managed 13 points in that first quarter, with Calhoun and Shanley Woods combining for seven points to bring the score to 32-13 heading into the second quarter.

As the second quarter started, the Hilltoppers offense continued firing on all cylinders and scored the first eight points of the quarter. After the run, Woods would get going with five straight points that brought the score to 40-15. However, the Wheeling offense was held to 11 points in the second quarter and totaled 24 points through the first half. Freshman Ally Ziegler, Woods, and Calhoun helped total the final six points of the first half and Wheeling went into halftime trailing 59-24. Wheeling shot under 35% from the floor in each of the first two-quarters of play and made just one shot from beyond the arc. They were looking for a breakthrough in the second half, and right from the start, they came out strong.

Wheeling struck first in the third quarter when Calhoun made a layup, and the Cardinals scored four of the first six points to start the quarter. Emily Holzopfel found her shot in the third quarter, scoring four points over the first four minutes as Wheeling busted out for 24 points in the third quarter. Wheeling battled back to bring the score to 78-39 with two minutes left in the quarter before some of Wheeling's younger stars got going. Freshman Ally Ziegler made a pair of free throws to get Wheeling over the 40-point mark, and Annie Hunt hit a three with a minute left to bring the score to 78-47 to complete an 8-0 run. Wheeling outscored West Liberty 25-22 in the quarter, but Wheeling still trailed 81-49.

Offense ruled the final quarter of play, as the two teams combined to put up 54 points over the final 10 minutes of play. The Hilltoppers would put the game away by going on a 14-5 run over the first four minutes of the final quarter, and brought the score to 95-54. However, Wheeling wasn't ready to roll over and play dead and Shanley Woods would hit a jumper to get things started. It was a pair of freshmen that did most of the scoring as Shamia Strayhorn and Macyla Collins both had big quarters. Strayhorn scored six of her eight points in the quarter, all coming off two-point shots. Collins entered the game in the fourth quarter and added six points of her own through the final five minutes of play. When all was said and done, Wheeling fell 110-73 and dropped to 3-7 in Mountain East Conference (MEC) play.

Lauren Calhoun led the scoring for Wheeling with 20 points while leading the way on defense with six rebounds. She was one of two scorers who reached double digits for the Cardinals, as Shanley Woods ended the day with 12 points and a team-high two three-pointers in the game. A few of Wheeling's freshmen hit new career highs in the game as Ally Ziegler put up seven points and Macyla Collins added five in the loss. Wheeling now moves to 3-7 in Mountain East Conference play as they continue their stretch of seven games in 14 days. They now have a quick turnaround as they get set to battle Fairmont State on the road in just two days.

The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team is back in action on Monday, January 24th, when they take on Fairmont State at 6 PM.