The Rams women’s basketball team took on Wheeling Jesuit Saturday afternoon following their alumni game and were able to rebound from a four-game skid with the 87-70 victory. With the bounce back win, the Rams improved their season record to 4-5 and 2-4 in Mountain East Conference play.
The Rams were able to jump out to an early 34-16 lead by the end of the first quarter. Senior forward Kayla Tibbs came out on fire, scoring all 20 of her points in the first half including 4-6 from three-point range, which saw the Rams take a 47-36 lead on 51 percent shooting as a team.
Despite going scoreless in the second half, Tibbs’ teammates Marley McLaughlin, Kari Lankford, and Lauren Reed made up for it with each scoring at least six points. For the game, four Rams players hit double digit point totals.
It was a complete game for the Rams who were in need of a win to get their season back on track, as they finished the contest with a noticeable advantage in points off turnovers with 23 compared to Wheeling Jesuits 10 points. The Rams were able to force the Cardinals into committing 19 total turnovers where the Rams had 11 for the game.
Almost everything went right for the Rams during the game and coming out of the third quarter they possessed a 21-point lead. The Rams were able to essentially coast through the fourth quarter to the win even though they were outscored 16-14 through the final 10 minutes.
For the game, the Rams shot 48 percent and a crisp 50 percent from deep, hitting on 9-18 total three-point shots. For comparison, the Rams were able to hold the visiting Cardinals to 39 percent shooting and just 37 percent from three-point territory (9-24).
The Cardinals’ Chenelle Moore had a game high 23 points but it wasn’t enough as Clayton finished with 17, Lankford with 12, and McLaughlin with 12 points to go along with Tibbs’ team leading 20.
The Rams will look to carry Saturday’s momentum into their next game against Shippensburg. The Rams will welcome the Raiders to Shepherdstown on Saturday, Dec. 15 with tip off scheduled for 2 p.m.
Vaughn is a sports writer for the Picket. He can be reached at vbrewe01@rams.shepherd.edu