Wheeling, W. Va. – The Wheeling University Women’s Basketball team (11-7, 9-3) enters play on Wednesday night riding the wave of a five game winning streak, with four of those wins coming at home. The Cardinals look to keep that home momentum going as they host West Virginia Wesleyan with tip-off at 5:30 pm. It is the final game of this three-game homestand as the Cardinals once again look to give the fans something to cheer about on their home court.
It was a big one in the Alma Grace McDonough Center last time out as the Cardinals hosted “The Battle for Wheeling” for the first time this season. As has been the case a couple of times this season, defense rules early in the first quarter, with the team’s combining to score just 13 points over the first six minutes. However, both offenses eventually found their groove and the Hilltoppers held the slight 17-15 advantage after one. The Cardinals responded with 20 second quarter points and cut into the West Liberty lead, but trailed 36-35 heading into the half. The Hilltoppers added the first six points of the second half before Wheeling came storming back to take their first lead of the game and held a 52-49 lead after three quarters. 22 fourth quarter points were enough to seal the deal as Wheeling leapfrogged West Liberty in the standings with a 74-68 win.
The Cardinals passed the ball around well throughout the night, having three different players finish in double figures on the day. Leading the offense was freshman Kenzie Dalton, who was third on the team in scoring, finishing with 12 points, but led the way in both rebounds (7) and assists (4). In her first year as a Cardinal, Dalton has taken control of the play calling duties and finds her teammates for open shots. She leads the Cardinals with 75 assists this season while sitting second in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) just six assists behind West Virginia State’s Hannah Shriver for the top spot. The Cardinals have gotten a big boost from Dalton in her freshman season as she continues to improve down the stretch.
Leading the Cardinals in scoring once again was senior Lauren Calhoun, who finished with a team-high 16 points on the night while grabbing five rebounds. Eight of those 16 points came over the game’s first 10 minutes as Calhoun got the offense started. She leads the MEC with 11 double-doubles this season and has been a force for the Cardinal’s offense. Shamia Strayhorn rounded out the offensive attack, finishing with 13 points and was particularly lethal from the free throw line. The sophomore finished 5-8 from the charity stripe, accounting for nearly half of her points on the afternoon.
The win was a big one for the Cardinals as it moved them into a tie for second in the conference, and just one game behind the tie for the conference lead. Leading the way in the MEC with five weeks to go are Glenville State and West Virginia State, who enter play Wednesday sitting at 10-2. Wheeling and Charleston are right behind them with identical 9-3 records and both still have a strong shot at challenging both teams for the top title. The Cardinals still have games remaining against all three teams, including a big week next week with Charleston and West Virginia State on the schedule, as they try to grab one of the top spots heading into the 2023 MEC Tournament.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Bobcats are meeting for the 35th time in program history and are wrapping up their 2022-23 season series with their second meeting of the year. Wheeling leads the all-time match-up with a record of 20-14, but has been even more dominant at home, where they are 9-3 against West Virginia Wesleyan. The Cardinals have won five of the last six games between the two teams, including a win earlier this year, and they look to keep that momentum going.
These two teams met for the first time this year on December 3rd, 2022, in a game that the Cardinals would win 61-50. The Cardinals were led by junior Shanley Woods in that game with 16 points, including a 4-7 mark from three-point range. Lauren Calhoun was the other double-digit scorer for the Cardinals, tacking on 13 points to round out the night.
The Details
Tip-off for Wednesday night’s game is scheduled for 5:30 pm inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
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