Wheeling Jesuit Nips Top-Seeded WV Wesleyan 53-52
3/3/2010 9:56:24 PM

Chrissy Pavlik led Wheeling Jesuit with 18 points in their upset of West Virginia Wesleyan.(CHARLESTON, W.Va.)---Chrissy Pavlik made a pair of free throws with 1:16 remaining for the game's final points as Wheeling Jesuit (15-14) continued the day's string of upsets with a 53-52 triumph over WVIAC regular season champion West Virginia Wesleyan (19-9).

The squads were tied 27-27 at intermission before Wheeling Jesuit opened the second half with an 18-8 burst to open their largest lead at 45-35.

Wesleyan would then hold WJU to only one field goal over the next seven minutes and would retake the lead 49-47 on an Angela Tassari bucket in the paint with 3:12 to play.

WJU tied the game for the seventh time on Megan Stuvek's basket on the ensuing possession. 

The lead changed hands twice more before Wesleyan took their final lead on a Daria Abros'kina layup at the 1:29 mark, but the Bobcats could not find the range on their final two possessions.

Top-seeded Wesleyan led by as many as nine in the first half at 21-12.  However, momentum swung the eighth-seeded Cardinals' way as a switch to a zone defense sparked a 15-6 run over the half's final eight minutes to tie the contest at intermission.

Pavlik led Wheeling Jesuit with 18 points, while Stuvek netted 11.  Wesleyan's Lydia Bridenbaugh topped all scorers with 22 points.  Abros'kina had a double-double of 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds for WVWC.

WVIAC Women's Basketball Tournament
March 1-6
Monday, March 1 (first round---campus sites, 7:30 p.m. unless indicated)
G1: #7 Shepherd 59, #10 Concord 57
G2: #2 Seton Hill 92, #15 Bluefield State 44
G3: #3 Charleston 80, #14 Ohio Valley 53
G4: #6 Fairmont State 62, #11 West Virginia State 57
G5: #8 Wheeling Jesuit 70, #9 Pitt Johnstown 63
G6: #4 Glenville State 119, #13 Alderson-Broaddus 86
G7: #5 West Liberty 97, #12 Davis & Elkins 87
Wednesday, March 3 (quarterfinals---Charleston Civic Center)
G8: Shepherd 76, Seton Hill 64
G9: Fairmont State 64, Charleston 62
G10: Wheeling Jesuit 53, #1 West Virginia Wesleyan 52
G11: Glenville State (18-9) vs. West Liberty (19-8) 8:30 p.m.
Friday, March 5 (semifinals---Charleston Civic Center)
G12: Shepherd (17-11) vs. Fairmont State (20-9) 1:00 p.m.
G13: Wheeling Jesuit (15-14) vs. Winner G11 3:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 6 (championship---Charleston Civic Center)
G14: Winner G12 vs. Winner G13 6:00 p.m.