Wheeling, W. Va. - It came down to the wire on Wednesday night inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center as the Wheeling Women's Basketball team (7-18, 7-14) battled Alderson Broaddus. Both teams scored 20+ points in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough as Wheeling would fall 78-72. The Cardinals now sit at 7-14 in conference play as they continue to hold on to the #9 seed in the MEC (Mountain East Conference) Playoff tournament.
As the game moved into the fourth quarter, Wheeling continued to hold onto their slim lead, and led 52-51 heading into the final 10 minutes of play. Junior Lauren Calhoun would extend their lead even further with a pair of free throws and held tight to their one-point lead over the first two minutes of the fourth quarter. The Battlers tied the game at 58-58, but Shanley Woods got Wheeling right back in front with a three-pointer that made it a 61-58 contest. However, the lead would change hands for the final time as the clock ticked past the five-minute mark and Alderson Broaddus was staked to a 66-65 lead. They would outscore Wheeling 11-5 over the final five minutes of the game, and a last second layup from Calhoun wasn't enough to turn their fortunes around as they fell 78-72.
Calhoun kept her double-double streak going scoring 26 points and pulling down 14 rebounds for her 10th double-double in the last 11 games played. Woods also had a big night, scoring 21 points on three three-pointers, while going 8-16 from the floor. Those were the only two double digit scorers for the Cardinals in the game and Jacqui Hinesmon would lead the passing game with three assists. The junior also scored five points and was second on the team with seven rebounds in the game. As a team Wheeling shot 40% from the floor in the game, but just didn't have enough firepower to keep up with the Battlers.
The Cardinals got the scoring started as Lauren Calhoun and Shanley Woods hit back-to-back buckets to start the game as the two teams battled back and forth. However, the Battlers responded with back-to-back three-pointers and the back and forth would begin. Woods would get back at it with two straight layups and it gave Wheeling the slight 10-9 advantage as the clock ticked past the five-minute mark. Both teams would trade a pair of free throws as the first quarter clock kept winding down and the Cardinals maintained their 12-11 lead. A bucket and two free throws gave Alderson Broaddus a 16-14 advantage with under a minute to play, but a Woods layup as the clock expired was enough to tie the game back up at 16-16.
As the second quarter got underway, neither team was able to hold onto the ball as they turned it over three times in the first two and a half minutes of play. The Cardinals would go on their first run of the game a few minutes later when they scored six straight points and took a 24-18 lead. Alderson Broaddus would get to within four points of the Cardinals, but the second quarter would turn into a quarter of free throws. Wheeling would go 9-10 from the free throw line over the final four minutes of the quarter and built up a 35-30 lead as the team headed into the locker room. Wheeling shot % from the field during that first half and were looking to keep their lead alive as they moved to the third quarter.
As the game moved to the third quarter, Alderson Broaddus hit a three-pointer right off the bat as the Battlers tried to get going. They got to within two points of the Cardinals, but Wheeling held the lead at 37-35. Calhoun hit back-to-back buckets to make it a 41-35 game, but every time the Cardinals scored AB would find a way to respond keeping it a one-point game. As the quarter came to a close, the two teams would get into a free throw battle, with each team making two, and Wheeling led 52-50 heading into the final quarter. Unfortunately, the ball didn't fall Wheeling's way as they took their 14th conference loss of the season.
The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team is back in action on Saturday, February 26th, when they battle West Liberty with tip-off at 2 PM.
