Buckhannon, W. Va. – It was a battle of the top two teams in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) on Wednesday night as the Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (12-9, 8-5) traveled to West Virginia Wesleyan. The game was as advertised, with the two teams battling to the final minute of the game, but the Cardinals would end up falling to the Bobcats 57-52. Wheeling had the lead through the first three quarters, but it was a late fourth quarter push from the Bobcats that ultimately swung the game.
In the first quarter, the dominant Cardinal defense that has been present over the past four games was on full display, holding the Bobcats to a 26.67% mark from the floor. The Cardinals got an early stop on the Bobcat's first possession and Kristel Rattasepp turned it into the first two points of the game. West Virginia Wesleyan responded on the ensuing possession, but Rattasepp followed with a three that sent the Cardinals on an 11-0 run. Wheeling hit three three-pointers on the run, with Henderson finishunf the run off with five straight points, and a West Virginia Wesleyan three would send things into the media timeout at 13-5. The Bobcat's defense stiffened over the final five minutes, as they outscored Wheeling 4-2 and after one quarter the Cardinals held a 15-9 lead.
After scoring the final four points of the first quarter, West Virginia Wesleyan just kept the success going into the second quarter. They extended their run to 9-0 and with 6:42 to go before the break, it was a 15-14 Cardinal lead. Henderson would break the run with her second three-pointer of the game and added her third just 30 seconds later. That three-pointer would send Wheeling on a 7-0 run that got them back to a 25-15 lead before the media timeout. The Bobcats followed with seven straight points of their own, and with two and a half minutes to go, Wheeling had a 25-22 advantage. The Cardinal defense would lock down for those final two and a half minutes, and Rattasepp and Wilson combined for the final three points of the half. Wheeling went into the break with a 28-22 lead and looked to create separation in the second half.
They would do just that coming out of the locker room, with Henderson starting things with a jumper as Wheeling went on an 8-0 run. Rattasepp and Emilia Sierra Lacosta each added a three-pointer on the run and the Cardinals were staked to their biggest lead of the night at 36-22. Henderson would continue to expand the Cardinal advantage, hitting her fourth three-pointer of the day and adding a layup that made it 41-26 with 4:17 to go in the quarter. Once again, the Bobcats would outscore the Cardinals over the final four minutes, going on an 8-1 run and made it 42-34. As the third quarter buzzer rang, Sierra Lacosta would drive coast to coast and put in a layup that sent Wheeling into the final quarter with a 44-34 advantage.
The fourth quarter began with a Bobcat layup, but the Cardinals answered with a layup from Wilson. West Virginia Wesleyan for their offense going, getting over the 40-point mark, but a pair of Wilson free throws preserved the Cardinal lead at 48-41. The Cardinals would maintain that advantage as the clock ticked past the six-minute mark, with another Wilson layup had Wheeling holding a 50-42 advantage. Sierra Lacosta added a layup right before the media timeout, and the Cardinals led 52-44 with five minutes to play. However, that would be the final Cardinal score of the day as the Bobcats finished on a 13-0 run. Emma Witt tied the game for West Virginia Wesleyan with 46 seconds to play, and five straight free throws from the Bobcats would end the game at 57-52.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was Bryana Henderson, who put up 20 points while being the Cardinal's most efficient shooter at 63.6% (7-11) from the floor. Her biggest impact would come from three-point range, making four threes and finishing 50% from beyond the arc. She was one of four Cardinals to hit double figures, with Kristel Rattasepp (10), Rachel Wilson (10), and Emilia Sierra Lacosta (10) each hitting the mark. Wilson added her sixth double-double of the season, leading the way with 10 rebounds and went 4-6 from the free throw line. Kenzie Dalton led the passing game with four assists and rounded out the day with five rebounds. The Cardinals shot 42.2% from the floor in the game but just couldn't make the final push at the end.
The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team returns to action on Saturday, February 8th, when they battle Davis & Elkins on senior day, with tip-off at 4 PM.
