Frostburg, MD. – With a chance to clinch a Mountain East Conference (MEC) Tournament spot on the line, the Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (13-11, 9-7) made the trip to Frostburg, Maryland on Saturday. After battling back and forth, the Cardinals tried to make a late push, but it wasn't enough as the Cardinals fell 61-55. Three Cardinals hit double figures on the day and despite scoring a game-high 19 points in the final quarter, it wasn't enough as the Cardinals dropped the matchup.
Through the first three minutes of play, the Cardinals got a layup from Rachel Wilson, but fell behind 6-2. Wilson would be the one to stop the Bobcat's run, and Bryana Henderson added a three-pointer that gave Wheeling their first lead at 7-8. Frostburg State would quickly take back the lead, but the Cardinals hit a run before the media timeout. Wilson would get the Cardinals started with a layup and the Cardinals would go on a 9-0 Run that put them in front 16-8. The tides would turn as the quarter ticked down, with Frostburg State going on a 5-0 run, but the Cardinal's lead was enough to hold on. They led 16-13 after a quarter of play and the back and forth began between the two teams.
Unfortunately, the Bobcats run continued into the second quarter and they would get to 10-0 as they overtook the Cardinals at 18-16. Kristel Rattasepp was the one to stop the run with a jumper and Kenzie Dalton had the Cardinals back out in front at 20-18. Frostburg State would continue to try and respond, but the Cardinals continued answering and maintained their one-point lead. Wilson helped the Cardinals maintain the lead with three points, while Hillari Baker added a layup and the Cardinals led 25-22 with 3:17 to go. The Bobcats would once again hit a 5-0 run over the next three minutes and Frostburg State would go up 29-25 with 1:03 to play. On their final possession of the half, Rattasepp would drive into the paint and laid in her shot to send the game into halftime with the Cardinals trailing 29-27.
As the teams broke from the locker room, the Cardinals continued to keep things close as Emilia Sierra Lacosta went coast-to-coast with a layup that made it a 31-29 game. It was the start of a big quarter for the freshman, who finished with five of her team's nine points in the quarter, hitting a pair of layups and a free throw. However, it would be the quarter for Frostburg State as they went on two separate 5-0 runs that helped them build a 10-point lead over the Cardinals. They led 41-31 with 4:26 to go in the quarter and extended that lead to 47-34 with a minute to play in the quarter. Wheeling would have the final response as Kaylee Marvin tipped the ball in and after three quarters, the Cardinals trailed 47-36 .
As the fourth quarter kicked off, Frostburg State would score the first points of the final quarter, but Wheeling was quick to cut into the lead. Layla Merriweather would hit a jumper to get the run started and Wheeling scored six straight points to make it a 50-42 game. Frostburg State would once again build a 10-point lead at 54-44 as the game hit the media timeout. Rattasepp would take advantage of a turnover and went on a fast break layup that sent the Cardinals on another run. This time, it was a 6-0 run for the Cardinals and they cut the lead to 54-50 with 2:47 to play. Kristel Rattasepp would once again come through with a three-pointer with 1:51 to play that made it 57-53, but that's as close as they would get on the day. They fell by the final score of 61-55 to round out the day.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was Rachel Wilson, who finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds as she picked up her eighth double double of the season. She was the Cardinal's most efficient shooter from the floor, making six of her seven shots while going 6-8 from the free throw line. Two other Cardinals would hit double figures on the day as Kenzie Dalton (12) and Kristel Rattasepp (11) each hitting the mark. Rattasepp would hit one of two three-pointers on the day, going 1-3 from long distance. Dalton would finish with two assists, while Bryana Henderson added three assists to lead the team. The Cardinals magic number was lowered to one in the effort as they have a chance to clinch a playoff spot on Wednesday.
The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team returns to action on Wednesday when they host Concord with tip-off at 5:30 PM.
