Women's Basketball Has Offensive Outburst to Beat Frostburg State
Frostburg, MD. – The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (7-17, 7-13) hit the road on Saturday to face Frostburg State in a big MEC matchup. They scored 20+ points in two different quarters as they took down the Bobcats 73-57.
In their second meeting of the season, it was Wheeling that took control of the game early as Lauren Calhoun, Jacqui Hinesmon, and Emily Holzopfel each scored buckets in the first minute and a half of the game to make it a 6-0 score. The Cardinal's defense was almost perfect for two minutes, but a three-pointer by Frostburg State at the 8:03 mark would get them on the board. Defense would rule the first four minutes of the game as those nine points were all that the two teams could muster with Wheeling ahead. Wheeling would extend that lead to 10-4 a few moments later, and took it as high as 13-8 with four minutes left in the first. The teams would score just four more points in the quarter, and Wheeling led 15-10 after one.
As the game moved to the second quarter, both team's defenses kept prevailing as a Calhoun bucket was all they could muster and Wheeling had a 17-10 lead with six minutes left before halftime. However, that jumper would start a 9-0 run, capped off by two free throws form Ally Ziegler that made it a 26-10 with just over four to play in the first half. Frostburg State battled their way back into the game, making it a nine-point game with 49 seconds to play. However, Taylor Cullen hit a three-pointer at the end of the half and a Frostburg free throw would send the teams into the locker room with Wheeling ahead 37-24. It was a big second-quarter showing for the offense, but they looked to keep things going in the second half.
As the third quarter began, Wheeling kept the momentum on their side, scoring the first bucket courtesy of Shanley Woods, and added six of the first eight points to put them ahead 43-29. They added six more points to their run to lead 47-29 with 6:27 left in the quarter before Frostburg put their first run of the quarter together. They rattled off five straight points to make it a 47-34 game more than halfway through the third. However, Wheeling responded with six points of their own and brought the score to 53-34. The Cardinals outscored the Bobcats 7-4 over the final two minutes of the third and went into the fourth quarter with a 60-38 advantage.
As the fourth quarter got underway, Frostburg State managed a 6-2 run that made it 62-44 over the first two and a half minutes of play. Woods would make a pair of free throws, and jumpers by Woods and Calhoun made it a 67-44 Wheeling advantage with five minutes to play. The Bobcats brought the score back under 20 with four minutes to play and got as close as 14 points away with 1:57 to play. However, Wheeling sealed the game with free throws, going five for six from the charity stripe in the final two minutes, and went on to win 73-57. They picked up their seventh Mountain East Conference (MEC) win of the season as they clinched a spot in the MEC Tournament.
It was a big day for Shanley Woods, who eclipsed the 20-point mark for the third time this season, leading the offense with 21 points. She was one of three double-digit scorers for the Cardinals with Lauren Calhoun (12) and Jacqui Hinesmon (13) also hitting double figures. Calhoun kept her double-double streak alive picking up her ninth double-double in the past 10 games finishing with 13 rebounds on the day. Wheeling shot an impressive 40% from the floor and 60% from the three-point range.
The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team is back in action on Wednesday, February 26th, when they host Alderson Broaddus at 5:30 pm.