Salem, W. Va. - The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (6-5, 4-2) hit the road to close out the 2022 portion of their schedule on Monday afternoon as they took on Salem University. It was a battle throughout the afternoon, with the lead changing hands nine times, but the Cardinals didn't have enough as they fell 59-54. They battled back to make it a two-point game with under a minute to go, but the Tigers hit their free throws to close out the game as Wheeling drops to 6-5 overall on the season.
Right from the get-go, both teams showed that they were ready to play as they essentially went bucket for bucket with each other through the first quarter.
Jacqui Hinesmon got the scoring started with a layup and a
Lauren Calhoun layup followed to make it a 5-4 game three minutes in. Calhoun came to the free throw line on the next possession and sank both free throws to get Wheeling back in front 6-5. The two teams traded three-point shots before Salem hit the big run of the night, going on a 6-0 run that made it a 14-9 Tigers advantage. Wheeling answered with a 7-0 run of their own, headlined by a Dalton three, that got Wheeling back in front 16-14. The Cardinals would allow one more basket but scored four unanswered points to lead 20-16 after one.
The Cardinals came out in the second quarter and added another three-pointer, courtesy of
Shanley Woods, and extended their lead to 25-18 with 8:15 showing before the half. The back and forth between the two teams continued for most of the quarter and, with five minutes to go before half, Wheeling maintained a four-point lead at 30-26. That is when Salem got hot, scoring the final nine points of the second quarter, and turning a four-point Wheeling advantage into a nine-point halftime deficit as the teams broke for the locker room. Wheeling went 0-7 from the floor over those final five minutes and went into halftime looking to turn things around.
The third quarter would see both defenses step up, with the two teams combining for just 18 points over the next ten minutes of play.
Shamia Strayhorn broke the Cardinals dry spell at the 9:10 mark of the quarter and a Dalton three five minutes later made it an eight-point affair.
Lauren Calhoun added a pair of jumpers before the quarter was out, but the Cardinals headed into the final 10 minutes trailing 48-39. As the fourth quarter began,
Hannah Archer got the Cardinals going with a three that cut the Salem lead to single digits as Wheeling began to battle back. Strayhorn and Calhoun each accounted for four points over the next seven minutes and, with 2:54 left on the clock, the Cardinals were trailing 54-51.
After a missed jumper by Salem, the Cardinals brought the ball back down the floor and got two big offensive rebounds to keep their possession alive. Hinesmon would grab the final offensive rebound and made the layup before being fouled. She completed the three-point play with a free throw and suddenly, the score was tied at 54-54. Salem quickly responded with a layup of their own to make it 56-54 and Wheeling had a few chances left with 1:41 to play. However, they could not complete the comeback as Salem finished the night 3-4 from the free throw line and the Cardinals would not make another basket as they fell 59-54.
It was another big night for senior
Lauren Calhoun, who finished with a team-high 18 points and 11 rebounds. She picked up her sixth double-double of the 2022-23 season and scored 18 or more points for the sixth time this season. The Cardinal's other double-digit scorer was freshman
Kenzie Dalton, who finished with 10 points and nearly had a double-double with seven rebounds. Senior
Jacqui Hinesmon had a strong defensive day, with a season-high 10 rebounds to go along with seven points. The loss closes out the 2022 portion of their schedule as they sit 6-5 overall and look to get momentum on their side in 2023.
The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team returns to action on Monday, January 2nd, when they host Malone at 5:30 PM.
