Wheeling, W. Va. – On Monday night, the Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (6-4, 4-2) wrapped up their 2022 home slate when they hosted Lake Erie College. It was a near triple-double for freshman Kenzie Dalton, but it wasn't enough as the Cardinals fell to the Storm 79-65. Both defenses were strong early, but Wheeling just couldn't keep up with Lake Erie's offense as they drop to 6-4 overall this season.

Just like Sunday's game, defense ruled the early going as both teams struggled coming out of the gate. Wheeling would put up the game's first three points, thanks to a Kenzie Dalton layup and a Lauren Calhoun free throw, but that is all Wheeling could get through the first five minutes. The Cardinal's defense would keep Lake Erie at bay over the first three minutes of the game, but a 5-0 run flipped it to a 5-3 game and a Calhoun layup tied the game at 5-5 by the first media timeout. The teams went back and forth over the quarter's final five minutes. Wheeling made it a 12-10 game with 42 seconds left, but Lake Erie maintained their lead as they went into the second quarter with the score sitting at 14-10 in favor of the storm.

Lake Erie extended their lead coming out of the break, scoring the first four points of the second before Head Coach Anna Kowalska called a timeout to help her team regroup. Lake Erie extended their lead to 22-10 before Jacui Hinesmon broke the run with a layup to make it a 22-12 game with just over seven minutes left before the half. Bryana Henderson and Fatima Mohammed would each check into the game after the media timeout and would make an immediate impact. Henderson Hit a three on her first offensive possessions to get Wheeling back on the board and Mohammed hur a layup on the next possession to make it a 22-17 game. Mohammed added another jumper and a Henderson free throw made it a six-point game. The offended would take over for the final three minutes, but Lake Erie would go into the locker room leading 40-33.

Mohammed put together her best half of the season, scoring 10 first half points while Dalton was right behind her with seven points. Dalton would turn it on in the third quarter as the Cardinals battled back to take the lead. Jacqui Hinesmon hit the first layup of the third quarter to make it a 40-35 game. Dalton would then assist on a big three from Shanley Woods and added two of her own to make it a 44-43 game at the 7:24 mark. After a Storm three, Hinesmon hit another layup before the Cardinals retook the lead on a layup by Shamia Strayhorn. Lake Erie would score the next four points before Lauren Calhoun hit a layup to make it a 51-49 game with 2:20 left in the quarter. Calhoun would add another free throw before the quarter ended and it was a 53-50 game heading to the fourth.

However, as the fourth quarter began, Lake Erie went on a 9-0 run that turned it into a 62-50 game with 8:50 to play. Calhoun hit a layup to break the run, but another jumper would make it an uphill climb for the Cardinals. Dalton would reach double digit points with a 1-2 mark from the free throw line and became the second Cardinal to reach a double-double on the day three rebounds later. She needed just four assists to complete the feat, but managed just one over the final 10 minutes. Calhoun also had a big fourth quarter, scoring eight points over the final 10 minutes, and got a double-double going from eight points entering the fourth to 16 when all was said and done. However, the Cardinals would drop their third straight game as they fell 79-65 to move to 6-4 on the season.

Lauren Calhoun led the way with her fifth double-double of the season, finishing with 16 points and 17 rebounds. For Dalton, it was her first career double-double as she finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds on the night. She was just three assists away from a triple-double, and led the passing game with seven assists. The final double digit scorer for the Cardinals was Fatima Mohammed, who set a new career-high with 10 points in the game. As the Cardinals head into Christmas break, they look to continue to grow from these two performances as they get ready for a tough schedule as they begin 2023.

The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team returns to action on Thursday, December 29th, when they hit the road to face Salem at 2 PM.