Columbus, OH- Before the holiday break could begin for the Wheeling Women's Basketball team (6-6, 3-2), it visited the capital next door to take on the Ohio Dominican Panthers. The Cardinals arrived and wasted no time jumping on the Panthers to outscore them 21-8 in the first quarter. However, as the contest continued, Ohio Dominican adjusted and came out on top in the game's conclusion, 74-67, to close out the calendar year.
After the teams felt each other out in the opening minutes, Emilia Sierra Lacosta took advantage of ODU's poor shooting and early turnovers to score seven of Wheeling's 14 unanswered points. The Panthers were forced to burn a timeout at the six-minute mark to attempt to regain their footing, but the Cardinals pressed on. While the timeout helped break the scoreless spell for the Panthers, Kristel Rattasepp and Lacosta sank their free throws, and a timely Rachel Wilson steal allowed Bryana Henderson to extend the Wheeling lead with 2:28 left to play in the first quarter. The Panthers made a layup and a jumper to end a dominating 21-8 first-quarter performance by the Cardinals.
Ohio Dominican built on their positive conclusion to the first to go on a 6-0 run, now only down seven in the early minutes of the second quarter. Wilson charged down the court and laid the ball into the hoop as a response, but a quick three and another jumper by ODU's Sarah Ochs closed the gap to four. Wilson went to work in the paint again, and the Cardinals were still on top, 25-19 . Brynn Mullet of the Panthers found her footing behind the arc and exercised the mid-range game to cut the Wheeling lead to one. The score remained unchanged for nearly two minutes as both teams struggled to pull away, but the Panthers' hard work finally paid off as they took their first lead of the game with a Shannon Wojack jumper at 3:06. A layup from Lacosta made it a one-possession game. Then, a Panther layup by Gabby Stare pulled it back to a five-point differential, and ODU took the 32-27 advantage into the locker room.
The schools played each other more competitively in the third quarter, but Wilson started scoring for the Cards after the halftime break. She attempted a jumper, got the offensive board, and tipped the ball into the basket. Despite ODU's efforts to pull away, Wilson remained determined to keep her Cardinals into the game. She netted six points over the next two minutes, keeping it within four. Consecutive layups from Rattasepp, a steal from her and Kenzie Dalton, and a Wilson free throw set Henderson up to tie the game at 41 with a trip to the line. Wheeling took a brief lead when Wilson tipped in another basket, but ODU connected on a three-pointer with 2:45 left in the third quarter. The Panthers gained a four-point lead over the Cardinals as they prepared to enter the final quarter of play, but Lacosta found a lane and drove in with four seconds remaining to only trail by two instead of four at 47-45.
Wheeling got off on the right foot to start the fourth quarter with four fast points from Dalton. The teams would trade points over the next two minutes, and at the eight-minute mark, ODU's Ochs drained a three to go up 55-52. After Ochs' three-pointer, the Panthers would not relinquish their lead for the remainder of the game. Ohio Dominican started a 6-0 run following the arc shot, and Wheeling called a timeout to regroup. This worked in the short term as Dalton and Lacosta recorded some points, cutting the 63-59 lead to only four points with 3:43 left to play in the contest. Ohio Dominican finished strong as they went on an 11-2 run over the next three minutes to make it 72-61. Henderson's perfect foul line trip and a final connection from Lacosta left the final score at 74-67 in favor of ODU.
The Cardinals played hard in spite of the less-than-optimal outcome. Emilia Sierra Lacosta posted a season-high 19 points, shooting an impressive 46.1% from the field in a season-high 36 minutes played. Rachel Wilson also recorded a season-high 19 points, sinking 9 of her 16 shots from the field. She ended with 11 rebounds, which marks her third double-double of the season. Bryana Henderson finished with 12 points and five steals, while Kristel Rattasepp also closed with 12 to further her double-digit point streak to a fourth game. Kenzie Dalton ended her night with five points, seven rebounds, and four steals.
The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team will rest and enjoy the holiday break. In the new year, they will return to action to play the Fairmont State Falcons on the road on January 8th at 5:30 PM.
