Wheeling, W. Va. - After opening the 2022 portion of their Mountain East Conference (MEC) schedule on Wednesday, the Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (2-9, 2-5) heads out on the road on Saturday to face Concord at 2 PM. Wheeling will be looking to get in the win column for the first time in the New Year and break their current four game skid.
Last time they took the court, they played a game they would much rather forget against Glenville State that was over before halftime. However, despite the loss, Wheeling still had some strong performances from some of their top scorers. They had three different players finish the night in double digits and managed to score double digit points in each of the four quarters. Their top scoring quarters were in the second and third, when the Cardinals managed to put up 15 points each and continue to fight no matter what the scoreboard said.
Leading the way once again for the Cardinals on the offensive end was junior Lauren Calhoun, who scored her fifth double-double of the season. She led the way with 14 points on the night while also leading the defense with 12 rebounds on the day. Sophomore Shanley Woods was also in double figures, hitting three three-pointers, and totaling 11 points on the day. Woods has been the Cardinals top shooter from three-point range and was back at it again helping rack up points for her team.
However, the biggest performance of the day came courtesy of Maura Castelluci, who scored a season-high 12 points on the night, most of that coming in the second half. All 12 points came on four three-pointers, as she led all players on the court in that category throughout the night. After being featured prominently in the offense last season, Castelluci has served as the sixth man off the bench this season and is beginning to make the most of that role. She is averaging 9.0 points per game over her last four games and has made at least two three-pointers in each of those games.
With the tough loss on Wednesday, Wheeling dropped to 2-5 in Mountain East Conference (MEC) play and now sit ninth in the conference. They have a half game lead over West Virginia Wesleyan and Frostburg State and are 1.5 behind Alderson Broaddus and The University of Charleston for a tie of seventh in the conference. Wheeling still has a lot of basketball left to play, and plenty of time to recover over January and February. They now get set to face a Concord team that is fourth in the MEC standings, and it's a chance for the Cardinals to put together some momentum for the rest of the season.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Mountain Lions have been playing against each other since the 2003 season, matching up 31 times during that span. Wheeling has had the advantage in those games, going 20-11, but when the game is played in Concord, the season series is much tighter with Wheeling holding a 7-6 record. Wheeling has won back-to-back games against the Mountain Lions, including an overtime win in last season's MEC Quarterfinals.
The Cardinals would come out on top in that game 77-72, thanks in large part to the efforts of former Cardinal Lilly Ritz. Ritz scored 28 points in that game and was one of three Cardinals who finished the day in double digits. Lauren Calhoun (14) and Shanley Woods (12) each added double figure efforts on the day, and propelled Wheeling to the MEC Semifinal round.
The Details
Tip-off for Saturday's game is scheduled for 2 PM on the campus of The University of Concord. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
