Wesleyan Falls to Wheeling in Quarterfinals
Lady 'Cats Flat, Outscored 40-21 in Second Half
March 2, 2005 - Box Score

After clawing back several times in the first twenty minutes of play, Wheeling Jesuit proved too much for the Lady 'Cats in the second half, outscoring Welseyan 40-21 on its way to a 68-46 victory at the Charleston Civic Center in the WVIAC Tournament's first quarterfinal match on Wednesday.

Senior Frances Carvajal (Covington, VA) led the way for Wesleyan in her final game in orange and black, extending her conference record of single-season double-doubles to 21 in notching 13 points and pulling down 15 rebounds. Sophomore Sarah Grab (Erie, PA) was the only other Lady Bobcat in double figures, dropping in 13 tallies.

Neither standout shot well, going a combined 9-33 from the field (27.2 percent). As a team, Wesleyan shot a paltry 32.0 percent (17-53 field goals), its second-lowest performance of the season.

Wheeling took advantage of Wesleyan's shooting woes and 20 team turnovers, converting 25-54 shots from the field (46.3 percent) including 7-27 from beyond the arc.

After making the first bucket of the game, Wesleyan was shaky in the opening stanza, down by as many as 10 points with five minutes left. Following a timeout from Head Coach Steve Tierney, Wesleyan seemed to right the ship, going on an 8-0 run to cut Wheeling's advantage to two at 25-23. The Lady 'Cats went into the half down 28-25.

Carvajal owned the low block with nine points and 11 rebounds going into the intermission, but did so on only 3-13 shooting from the field.

Wheeling gradually built it's lead throughout the second half, holding a 10-point advantage with 10:45 to play before pushing the pedal down a little hard.

After owning a five-rebound edge going into the intermission, rebounding became an issue for Wesleyan. The Lady 'Cats couldn't keep the Cardinals off either glass in the second half in being outrebounded 18-12 throughout final chapter.

By the five-minute mark, the Cardinals had extended their lead to 18 points at 56-38 thanks to a solid inside-outside mix from guard Katie Repicky (19 points) and forward Lauren Hansen (18 points).

Wheeling moves on to face the winner of Fairmont State/West Liberty State in the semi-finals on Friday. Wesleyan ends the 2004-2005 season after posting an impressive 17-12, 11-7 record (tournament games do not count towards conference records, only overall marks).

When a team's shooting, passing, and defense all come together in one game, it usually spells doom for the opposition.

Ohio Valley College (7-21, 4-14) was the victim of a complete Lady Bobcat (17-11, 11-7) effort on Monday night in Rockefeller Center, falling to Wesleyan 76-51. With the victory, Wesleyan moves on to face #4 seed Wheeling Jesuit University (20-8, 14-5) at the Charleston Civic Center on Wednesday afternoon at 1:00pm.

Senior Frances Carvajal (Covington, VA) spurred the Lady 'Cat offense with her 20th double-double of the season, notching 22 points and 10 rebounds, both game-high figures. She also blocked two shots. Sophomore forward Emily Facemyer (Sissonville, WV) took advantage of a favorable match up in posting a personal season-best 17 points.

Wesleyan was forced to adjust its offensive strategy midway through the first half due to constant double-teaming of Carvajal on the post. After a few shaky possessions and a 30-second timeout from Coach Steve Tierney, the Lady 'Cats went to a quick passing set in which the ball rarely hit the floor.

The change in strategy resulted in a season-high 32 team assists. Senior Heather Kauffman (Altoona, PA) led the effort with seven assists. Freshmen Lucia Darling (Indianapolis, IN) and Brandi Wynn (Hyattsville, MD) followed close behind with six dimes apiece.

Wynn was especially impressive in extended time, dropping in nine points (4-6 from the field, 1-2 from three-point territory) and bringing the crowd to its feet with an emphatic block resulting in a jump-ball situation.

Wesleyan will need production similar to Monday's effort throughout the rest of the tournament, beginning with Wheeling on Wednesday. On February 3, the Lady Bobcats defeated the Cardinals 68-63 in Wheeling behind strong showings of 24 points from sophomore Sarah Grab (Erie, PA) and 20 points and 16 boards from Carvajal.

Wheeling took care of business against #13 Salem International in its first round contest, shooting 61.5 percent from the field in trouncing the Tigers 87-51. Lauren Hansen led WJU with 18 points, while Katie Repicky and Sarah Setcavage each tallied 13 apiece.

In other first round action, #3 Glenville State eliminated #14 Davis & Elkins 70-53 behind a narrowly missed triple-double from Denae Dobbins. The WVIAC First Team center registered 27 points to go along with 12 rebounds and eight blocked shots. The Pioneers move on to face #6 Shepherd who sent Alderson-Broaddus packing 69-53 last night. The Rams were helped by 19 points from Casey Landrum and a pair of double-doubles from Laura Harkins (14 points, 12 rebounds) and Anna Lashway (10 points, 11 rebounds).

In the only upset of the first round, #10 West Virginia State downed #7 WVU Tech for a third straight time this season behind 15 points each from Tiffany Scott and Carmella Suggs. Scott also chipped in a game-best 13 rebounds. The Yellow Jackets advance into the quarterfinals against #2 University of Charleston. The Golden Eagles demolished #15 Bluefield State 78-36, limiting the Lady Blues to just 18 percent shooting in the rout. Four UC players scored in double figures, led by Lisa Lee’s 14 points.

The excitement continues to build around the Wesleyan community concerning tonight's opening round match of the WVIAC Tournament against Ohio Valley College. Add two post-season awards and a weekly honor into the mix, the anticipation is almost unbearable.

Senior post Frances Carvajal (Covington, VA) provided a double dose of exhilaration, earning an All-WVIAC First Team selection and the final WVIAC Player of the Week award, although she shares the latter honor with Fairmont State's Ashley Reed. Sophomore guard Sarah Grab (Erie, PA) upped the ante with a selection to the All-WVIAC Second Team.

Carvajal finished the season second in the conference in scoring at 19.7 points per game and first in rebounding at 11.7 boards per contest. In Saturday's victory in the season finale against Shepherd University, Carvajal set the conference record for double-doubles in a season, registering her 19th such effort of the campaign.

Carvajal adds this award to an already impressive resume. In 2002, she was named to the All-Freshman squad which she trumped in 2003 by earning a spot on the WVIAC First Team and Region Second Team. Last season, Carvajal again was chosen as one of the conference's best, landing on the WVIAC Second Team list.

On her way to earning the final conference weekly award of the season, Carvajal posted double-doubles in three Wesleyan wins. She averaged 22.3 points and 15.0 rebounds in victories against Alderson-Broaddus, Davis & Elkins, and Shepherd.

Grab enjoyed a breakout second season in Wesleyan orange and black, finishing fifth in the conference in scoring at 18.0 points per game and second in three-point percentage, canning 45 of her 96 attempts (.469) from long range.

An outstanding student to boot, Grab adds this recognition to her selection to the 2005 ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District II College Division Second Team, a WVIAC Player of the Week award earned previously this season, and a 2004 WVIAC All-Freshman Team accolade.

For a complete listing of the All-WVIAC teams, click the link below.
2004-2005 All-WVIAC Teams (.pdf format)

It's not everyday that a record is set, a tournament seeding is determined, and two invaluable seniors are honored for a storied career in one setting.

Emotions were running rampant in Rockefeller Center on Saturday as Wesleyan (16-11, 11-7) secured the fifth seed in next week's WVIAC Tournament with a 62-57 triumph over Shepherd University (11-15, 10-8).

Post Frances Carvajal (Covington, VA), joined by fellow fourth-year Lady 'Cat Heather Kauffman (Altoona, PA) as the highlight performers in Wesleyan's Senior Day celebration, set the conference record for most double-doubles in a single season with a 20-point, 10-rebound showing in front of an energetic Bobcat crowd. Carvajal's efforts marked her 19th double-double of the campaign.

Carvajal got off to a rocky start in the first half, collecting only two points (1-6 from the field) and one board before picking up her second foul just four minutes into the affair. She didn't see the court again in the first twenty minutes. Carvajal laid all fears to rest in the second stanza, leading the Lady 'Cats back from a four-point half-time deficit in earnest with 18 tallies and nine rebounds in a full final half of play.

The victory sets up a Monday matchup with number 12 seed Ohio Valley College in the first round of the WVIAC tournament. In the two foes only meeting of the season, Wesleyan smacked OVC 83-67 behind 22 points and 10 rebounds from Carvajal and 19 points and seven boards from guard Sarah Grab (Erie, PA).

The Scots come into the contest on the wings of a final game upset of tournament fourth seed Wheeling Jesuit University earlier in the week.

Tip-off for the opening round match on Monday, February 28, is set for 7:30pm on in Rockefeller Center.

With the WVIAC standings packed as they are in positions five through seven, it's nice luxury to have control over one's destiny.

Thursday night's 70-60 victory over Davis & Elkins College in Elkins provides Wesleyan (15-11, 10-7) with just that privilege in a Saturday afternoon re-match with Shepherd University in Buckhannon. The Rams are currently one spot behind Wesleyan in the fixtures, but boast an identical 10-7 conference mark.

A Lady 'Cats triumph over Shepherd would secure the fifth seeding in next week's WVIAC Tournament. In it's current position, Wesleyan will finish no lower than the eighth seed, guaranteeing a first round game in Rockefeller Center on Monday, February 28 at 7:30pm.

Shepherd will have its hands full in trying to deal with senior Frances Carvajal (Covington, VA) and sophomore Sarah Grab (Erie, PA) as both were impressive against D&E. Carvajal dominated down low, dropping in 23 points and snagging 18 rebounds, her conference leading 18th double-double of the season. Grab was efficient in posting her 21 points against the Senators, going 6-9 from the field, including 3-3 from three-point territory, and 6-8 from the charity stripe. She also added eight boards to the box score.

Although Shepherd got the best of Wesleyan in their first meeting, Carvajal left a frightening impression on the Ram post players as she registered career highs of 36 points and 21 rebounds just 11 days ago.

In adding more importance to the occasion, Saturday is also senior day for the Lady Bobcats, marking the final regular season home games for Carvajal and Heather Kauffman (Altoona, PA).

Game time against Shepherd is set for 4:00pm.