WHEELING, W.Va. — Andrea Dalton’s 3-pointer with only seven seconds left gave the Pitt-Johnstown women’s basketball team a two-point advantage and what appeared to be a dramatic comeback victory on Tuesday at Wheeling Jesuit.
But Wheeling Jesuit’s Kourtney Booth answered with a long desperation heave that went through the basket for a game-winning 3-pointer as time expired in the Cardinals’ 68-67 win over the Lady Cats.
Wheeling is 2-1 overall and
1-0 in the WVIAC. UPJ fell to
1-3, 0-1.
Dalton led Pitt-Johnstown with 23 points.
The WVIAC teams battled from the outset.
Wheeling Jesuit moved out to a 9-4 lead on Lauren Myers' jumper 3:35 into the game.
UPJ’s Sheena Aden scored five straight points for the Lady Cats to tie the score and spark an 8-0 run. Stacy Goode’s lay-up and free-throw capped the run and gave Pitt-Johnstown a 12-9 lead at 14:12.
The Cardinals pushed the lead to 20-15, before Kelly Goode tied the score on a long 3-pointer with 7:45 left. However, Wheeling Jesuit outscored the Lady Cats 19-7 the rest of the way to build a 39-27 halftime advantage.
Monae Baker connected on back-to-back 3-pointers, and Dalton added a 3-pointer from the corner to pull Pitt-Johnstown to within 43-40 six minutes into the second half.
The Lady Cats completed the comeback on another Dalton
3-pointer to take a 49-47 lead with 11:40 remaining. Pitt-Johnstown maintained the slim lead until Nicole Izzo hit a jumper to give Wheeling Jesuit a 55-54 lead at the 5:10 mark.
Stacy Goode answered with a basket the next time down the floor for the Lady Cats. The teams battled back and forth until Dalton nailed yet another 3-pointer to give Pitt-Johnstown a 67-65 lead with :07 left, but Booth answered with her
3-pointer at the buzzer to propel the Cardinals to the one-point win.
Dalton’s 23 points led all scorers as she made 10 of 18 shots from the field, including three
3-pointers. Aden had 12 points and five rebounds, while Stacy Goode collected 11 points, five rebounds and a team-high seven assists. The Cats also got eight points and five rebounds from Baker, and six rebounds from Kayla Loughner.
Kim Mueller's 21 points and four rebounds paced Wheeling Jesuit. Megan Stuvek had 10 points and seven rebounds, and Booth finished with seven points and seven assists for the Cardinals.
The Lady Cats return home to host a non-conference game against Ohio Wesleyan University at 2 p.m. on Saturday in the Sports Center as part of a doubleheader with the Mountain Cat men's team. The Mountain Cats will play California University (PA) at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
