Wheeling, W. Va. - After a strong opening weekend, the Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (2-1, 0-1) suffered a setback in their Mountain East Conference (MEC) opener, taking their first loss of the season. The Cardinals will look to bounce back as they take their home court for the first time during the 2022-23 season when they battle Alderson Broaddus with tip-off at 5:30 PM. The Cardinals won just two games on their home floor last season and will be looking to reverse that fortune as they bring conference play to the Alma Grace McDonough Center.
Last time out, the Cardinals played in their 2022-23 MEC opener against Notre Dame College and fell in a close contest 55-51. As they have done all season long, the Cardinals offense came out strong in the first quarter, putting up 17 points over the first 10 minutes of play. However, the Cardinals were held to just nine points in the second quarter and the Falcons took advantage heading into halftime with the Cardinals trailing 29-26. The third quarter saw the Cardinals retake the lead with a 10-2 run, but by quarter's end things were tied again at 39-39, making for an exciting final push. In the end, the Falcons just outlasted the Cardinals, putting up 16 points to take the 55-51 victory.
The Cardinals were once again led by senior forward Lauren Calhoun, who picked up her third double-double in as many games to start the season. She finished the day with 17 points and added 14 rebounds to round out the effort to start conference play. Calhoun has scored 15 or more points in every game she has played this season and sits sixth in the MEC with 20.0 points per game this season. She finished at a career-high 19.4 points per game last season and is currently chasing down the 1,000-career points mark, entering Tuesday's game needing just 261 points to reach the mark. She looks to continue to be a big contributor to this season's team as they chase down an MEC Tournament spot.
Another Cardinal who had a breakout effort was freshman Kenzie Dalton, who finished with a career-high 11 points in the game. It was her first double-digit effort of the season, and she shot a team best 55.5% from the floor (5-9) while adding one three-pointer on the day. Dalton was also big in the passing game, finishing with four assists to give her 16 on the season. Dalton is currently tied for third in the conference with 16 assists and looks to continue her successful freshman campaign. Shanley Woods led the way with two three-pointers on the day as she continues to shoot well from distance and ended with eight points on the day.
The conference opening weekend split the standings in half with Fairmont State, Glenville State, Charleston, Frostburg State, West Liberty, and Notre Dame College picking up wins. However, the Cardinals are one of seven teams in the conference with two or more wins this season, and they look to even their conference record as they play their final game before Thanksgiving break. The Cardinals have just two home conference games before Christmas break, and they look to get their conference play started on a high note.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Battlers are meeting for the 23rd time in program history with the Cardinals leading the all-time series with a record of 17-5. It will be a rematch of last season's MEC First Round meeting between the two teams when the Cardinals advanced to the MEC Quarterfinals. When the teams meet in Wheeling, the Cardinals have been fairly successful with a 9-3 record compared to a 7-2 mark on the road. In that MEC First Round meeting last season, the Cardinals picked up their first win in three meetings with the Battlers that season 68-62.
In that game, Lauren Calhoun led the Cardinals with 22 points and 10 rebounds to pick up the double-double on the day. The Cardinals had three finish in double digits on the day with Jacqui Hinesmon and Shamia Strayhorn each finishing with 11 points. Hinesmon would lead the passing game with five assists to round out the day.
The Details
Tip-off for Tuesday 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.
