Johnstown, P.a- Tonight marked road game number three of four to open the season for the Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (1-2), (0-0). The Cardinals traveled to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, to square off against the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Mountain Lions. The Cards fly home with their first win of the season, 65-50 in the non-conference meeting.
The game did not see its first point until three minutes passed. UPJ's Lexi Margolis nabbed a defensive rebound and hit a three-pointer, but Mah Minthe did some work in the paint to quickly answer. Wheeling had many opportunities to take the lead early from behind the arc, but a layup by Kristel Rattasepp would have to suffice to go down 5-4 with under five minutes to play in the first quarter. UPJ added a layup, but Graci Fairman connected from deep to tie it up at seven about a minute later. Wheeling saw their first lead of the night when Rachel Wilson kissed a layup off the glass with two and a half to play. The Mountain Lions briefly grabbed the lead back, but the Cardinals finished the quarter strong with a 7-0 run in the last minute, and the first quarter ended with Wheeling on top 16-12.
Emilia Sierra Lacosta drained a three to start the second quarter off right and push the lead to seven. However, UPJ slowly chipped away at the lead, and with a steal, Belle Bosch knotted things back up at 19 with 8:35 left to play in the half. The Mountain Lions continued to battle, but when they got close, timely three-pointers from Fairman and Rattasepp extended the Wheeling lead. With 54 seconds left, Margolis swished a jumper from far out to tie it up at 29 a piece. Both teams would take the tie into the locker room and regroup.
UPJ came out of the break with a hot start, going up by four. A layup from Wilson brought it back to within two, but the Mountain Lions pushed the pace of play over the next couple of minutes to widen the gap by seven for a 40-33 UPJ lead with five minutes left in the third quarter. Despite the Mountain Lions' attempt to pull away, Wilson kept the Cards in it with 10 points and did not allow UPJ to build their lead past two possessions. With her hard work, Rattasepp banked in a layup to pull back to within three points and trailed 44-41 at the end of the third quarter.
Wheeling flipped a switch and dominated the remainder of the contest. They outscored UPJ 24-6, credited to capitalizing on their free throws and layup opportunities. Sound defense was also a reason for preserving and growing the lead. With 2:02 remaining, Kenzie Dalton stormed down the court and made the layup after ripping the ball away from UPJ's Riley Childress. Wheeling's fourth-quarter takeover secured their first win of the season with a final score of 65-50.
The Cardinals saw three players surpass double-digit points. Rachel Wilson picked up her second double-double of the season with 12 points, 15 rebounds, and five steals. Kristel Rattasepp led the team with 19 points, and Graci Fairman finished with 15 points and converted all five of her free throws. Emilia Sierra Lacosta recorded seven points. Kenzie Dalton, Bryana Henderson, and Mah Minthe scored four points each.
The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team will end their four-game season-opening road trip in Crestview Hills, Kentucky, where they will play Thomas Moore University. The game is scheduled for Tuesday, November 19th, at 5 p.m.
