Uniontown, PA - The Johnson & Wales University Charlotte Women's Basketball Team faced #10 Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in the first round of the USCAA National Championships on Sunday. Thanks to some hot shooting and impressive rebounding, the #7 Wildcats have advanced to the quarterfinals with a 84-49 victory.

The Wildcats were wire-to-wire winners, never trailing in the game. JWU held a 17-11 advantage after the first quarter with a 38-28 margin at half. The second half was where the Wildcats asserted their dominance, doubling their lead with a 18-8 third quarter. Their pièce de résistance, though, came with an incredible 28 point fourth quarter to reach the 84-49 final.

The key to the game was the incredible shooting of the Wildcats, who shot 56.7%, including 8 of 17 from three. The Wildcat defense also showed up, holding the Panthers to 36.7% on the day. The ball movement from the Wildcats was impressive throughout. They collected assists on 25 of the their 34 field goals made. Jamyah Montissol led the way with 6 assists while Christine Eppler, Micah Thomas, and Justice Wallace each collected 5. The Wildcats also dominated inside, outrebounding their opponents 47-18 and held a 38-12 advantage on points in the paint.

Ineesha Hankerson led the way for the Wildcats with a 23 point and 15 rebound performance. Her 15 rebounds give her 1012 for her career, making her their first women's or men's  basketball player in JWU Charlotte program history to reach the 1,000 rebound milestone. JWU wasn't a one-player show, as four other players reached double figures. Shannon Martin added 18 off the bench on 6 of 12 shooting from deep. Montissol extended her double digit scoring streak to 14 games with her 13 points. Eppler and Thomas each notched 11 points.

The Wildcats will take on #2 Central Maine CC on Monday, March 9th, with a 2:00 pm tip-off scheduled.