WHEELING, W.Va. – The West Virginia State University women's basketball team was edged by Wheeling, 75-72, on Saturday afternoon at the Alma Grace McDonough Center. The Yellow Jackets led the Cardinals for more than 20 minutes, but a three-pointer with seconds remaining in the game put Wheeling over the top.

West Virginia State drops to 8-14 overall, 6-10 in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) with the loss. Meanwhile, Wheeling improves to 9-13 on the season, 8-8 in the MEC with the win.

Sophomore guard Sierra Womack was West Virginia State's best player with 12 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals despite the defeat. She shot 2-of-3 from three-point range. Fellow sophomore Charity Shears had a strong outing with 14 points, four boards, two assists, and a steal. Twin sister Payton Shears made the most of her 17 minutes played with 10 points, three steals, two rebounds, and an assist.

The first quarter ended 15-12 in favor of Wheeling. Both teams struggled to find an offensive rhythm in the opening ten minutes of the contest.

The Cardinals picked up play at the start of the second quarter and seized an 11-point advantage, 29-18, four minutes in.

West Virginia State then came to life and went on a remarkable 22-6 run in the last six minutes of the first half. As a team, the Yellow Jackets shot 9-of-14 from the field, 2-of-3 from three-point range, and 2-of-3 from the foul line during that stretch. They walked off the court with a five-point lead, 40-35, at halftime.

The third quarter was a 19-19 stalemate between the two sides thanks to a 7-0 run by WVSU to close out the period. Charity Shears knocked down a three-pointer at the end of the run to give the Yellow Jackets another five-point edge, 59-54, going into the final period.

Neither team shot particularly well in the fourth quarter. Both shot under 40 percent from the field and under 30 percent from behind the arc. The Cardinals played well enough to have the opportunity to go in front with less than 10 seconds to go. At that time, Wheeling's Khira Burton made the three-point shot that iced the game.

The Cardinals were helped tremendously by the dominance of 6-1 forward Lilly Ritz. She grabbed 35 rebounds and scored 23 points with no one on the Yellow Jackets to match up against her height.

West Virginia State was in front for 51 percent of the game, compared to 33 percent by Wheeling. The contest was deadlocked for 16 percent of the time.

The Yellow Jackets will return home for their next game on Thursday, Feb. 13 versus West Virginia Wesleyan (3-19, 1-15 MEC). Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.