Wheeling, W. Va. – All season long, the matchup between West Liberty and Wheeling is marked on the calendar in the annual "The Battle for Wheeling." On Saturday, it was that time as the Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (14-4, 9-2) headed to the hilltop to face West Liberty on Saturday. It was a classic battle that saw the two teams head to overtime, and the Cardinals would come out victorious with an 83-78 victory.

As the game came down to its final three minutes, the Hilltoppers held a slim 65-61 advantage after the two teams had gone back and forth throughout the night. Jacqui Hinesmon would drive into the paint and put up a layup that went as a three-point play that made it a one-point game. Graci Fairman would get to the free throw line next and put up a pair that put the Cardinals back in front. They went on a 7-0 run and ended up building up as much as a 71-67 lead with 32 seconds left on the clock. However a jumper by West Liberty's Grace Faulk and a pair of free throws would tie the game at 71-71. The Cardinals had one more shot as Bryana Henderson put one up from three-point range at the buzzer but it fell short and the Cardinals would be headed to their third overtime game of the season.

In the precious two overtime affairs the Cardinals had come out on top and they were looking to do just that again. They came out strong, scoring the first four points of the extra time courtesy of back-to-back jumpers from Hinesmon and Fairman, who built a 75-71 advantage. West Liberty momentarily broke the drought with a free throw, but the Cardinals were back at it as they went up 77-72 on a Briarley Rogers jumper. A Hilltoppers three pointer would make it a one-point game with 1:35 to go, before another three-point play converted by Hinesmon would get the Cardinals back to an 80-77 advantage. The Cardinals defense would take it from there, allowing just one West Liberty point over the final minute and the Cardinals would finish the day going three for four from the free throw line. It was enough to give them the victory as they walks away 83-78 victors and love to 3-0 in overtime this season.

It was a big day in the paint once again for the Cardinals as Jacqui Hinesmon led the effort. The graduate student set a new season-high with 22 points as she went 8-12 from the floor and 6-10 from the free throw line. It was the third straight game where the Cardinals had five scorers in double figures, with Graci Fairman (16), Shamia Strayhorn (13), Rachel Wilson (12), and Bryana Henderson (11) each hitting the mark. Henderson was the most efficient of that group, shooting 44.4% (4-9) from the field. Hinesmon would also lead the Cardinal's defensive effort, finishing with nine rebounds, while Strayhorn led the passing game with two assists. With the win, the Cardinals moved their magic number to just three to clinch a playoff berth and could do just that when they return home next Saturday.

As they have been accustomed to all season long, it was a fast start that got the Cardinals going. Wilson would get things started with a jumper and the Cardinals would go on to score the first seven points of the contest. The Cardinals defense blanked the Hilltoppers for nearly the first two minutes of play and allowed just four Hilltoppers points over the first three and a half minutes of play. Rogers would put up a jumper as the Cardinals got to 10 points and held a 10-4 advantage with 6:33 to go in the first. However, a 9-4 Hilltoppers run would quickly turn the game around and at the 4:19 point of the quarter, it was a 15-13 Cardinal advantage. Henderson broke the run with a jumper and a pair of free throws opened things back up as Wheeling built a 19-13 advantage. Henderson would get on the board with a layup as the quarter was coming to a close and Wheeling held a 21-16 lead after one quarter.

As the second quarter began, the Cardinals were on the board first but West Liberty would battle back quickly. They made it a four-point contest at 27-23 by the 7:40 mark before four straight Cardinal points pushed the Cardinals lead to 31-23. As was the case for the entire matchup, West Liberty would battle back and with 3:25 to go before the break the score sat at 33-30 in favor of the Cardinals. A West Liberty free throw would cut that Cardinal lead to two before both defenses locked in. Neither team got on the board over the final three minutes of the half and the Cardinals headed into the locker room up 33-31. In the third quarter, the Cardinals outscored the Hilltoppers by one point at 20-19 and that point would end up being the one that Wheeling needed as they fought to over time and eventually came out with the victory.

The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team returns to action on Wednesday, January 31st, when they hit the road to face Charleston with tip-off at 5:30 PM.