Wheeling, W. Va. – Earlier in the season, the Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (5-12, 5-8) was dealing with COVID issues and had to postpone a couple of contests. It is a match-up that has been two weeks in the making, but the Cardinals will host Frostburg State on Monday at 6 PM. Wheeling is looking to bounce back after a tough home loss on Saturday.

The Cardinals returned home for the first time since January 5th last time out when they hosted Davis & Elkins. The Cardinals got off to a hot start in the game, scoring 10 of the first 12 points in the game. However, the second half was not nearly as kind to the Cardinals as they managed just 28 points, and were outscored 41-28. In the end, Davis & Ekins came out victorious 62-53, stopping a streak that saw Wheeling win three of their last four games. The Cardinals were once again led by their offensive leader Lauren Calhoun, who continued her streak of scoring 20+ points.

Calhoun led the offense with 28 points on the night and was just two points shy of her second straight 30+ point effort. She also picked up her seventh double-double of the season, leading the defensive effort with 17 rebounds. Calhoun is the leading scorer in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) with 340 points, and an average of 20.0 points per game. Before 2021-2022, Calhoun's season-high for points was 96 in 2020-2021. She has almost quadrupled that total in one season and has been a big contributor for the team this season. 

There was only one other Cardinal player in double figures, with Shamia Strayhorn scoring 18 points. Strayhorn has been a player who has had many different roles for the Cardinals. At the beginning of the year, she was a top scorer for the team but as the season has gone on she has taken more of a passer role. She tied for the team lead with three assists in the game and was tied for second with five rebounds. The only other offense on the day came courtesy of freshman Ally Ziegler (5 pts.) and junior Emily Holzopfel (2 pts.).

After winning three of their previous four games before Saturday's loss, Wheeling had gained some momentum in the push for the MEC playoffs. With the loss, Wheeling sits in ninth place in the MEC with a record of 5-8, and are just one game back of Aderson Broaddus and Notre Dame College for being in a tie for seventh. Wheeling is continuing their stretch of seven games in 14 days and is currently 3-2 during the first five games. They have two key matchups with Frostburg State and Charleston ahead of them, as they look to get momentum back on their side.

The Matchup

The Cardinals and Bobcats have a fairly new rivalry in the MEC, having played just four games prior to Monday night's contest. Wheeling has won all four of those games, averaging 72.5 points per game. When they play at home in the series, Wheeling matches their average at 72.5 points per game. They have played two contests at home against Frostburg State, and two in Frostburg, Maryland. Their last game came in a home contest on February 17th of last year in a game that Wheeling went on to win 81-49

It was their largest margin of victory over the Bobcats and was the first time they crossed the 80-point threshold against the Bobcats. Former Cardinal Lilly Ritz led the offensive effort with 21 points in the game and was one of two double-figure scorers. Shanley Woods had a big day off the bench with 12 points to round out the offensive effort.

The Details

Tip-off for Monday night's game is scheduled for 6 PM inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats HERE.