Wheeling, W. Va. - The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (6-1, 4-1) is out to their best start in Mountain East Conference (MEC) play since the 2016-17 season when they went 5-0 in their first five conference games. The Cardinals look to wrap up the 2022 portion of their conference schedule with that streak alive as they host #22 Charleston on Saturday at 2 PM. It will be the Cardinal's second straight game against a ranked opponent, after taking on #5 in the NCAA DII Atlantic Region West Virginia State last time out, and the second of three straight against ranked teams.
In their first test, the Cardinals handled a big test when they took down West Virginia State 91-77 on Wednesday night. The Cardinals fell behind early, trailing 19-16 after one quarter of play, but came back to outscore the Yellow Jackets in every quarter after that. They put up 20 points in the second quarter and headed into halftime with a slim 36-33 lead. With the game still very much in the balance, the Cardinals needed to come out strong in the third quarter and they did just that putting up 25 points to extend their lead to 11. They just continued to score as the half went on, putting up 30 points in the fourth as they went on to win 91-77 to improve to 4-1 in the conference.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was a pair of transfers that they brought in this season in junior Carla Torrubia Cano and sophomore Kimora Pooler. Cano put together the best game of her collegiate career so far, scoring 26 points while picking up nine rebounds and six assists. All three marks were season highs for the junior as she flirted with a triple-double by game's end. Cano has really turned it on over the last week for the Cardinals averaging 14.3 points per game over her last three games as she continues to play a larger and larger role for the Cardinals as the season goes on.
Pooler was the only Cardinal on the day to register a double-double, finishing the night with 21 points and 11 rebounds. It was her first double-double of the season for the Cardinals and, after being held to just seven first half points, she came alive when her team needed her most in the third and fourth quarters. The other two double figure scorers for the Cardinals were senior Lauren Calhoun and junior Shanley Woods. Each put up 15 points in the contest and for both all 15 of those came during the 55-point second half that saw the Cardinals seal their victory.
Entering play Saturday afternoon, things are getting crowded atop the MEC as the 2022 portion ends. Five teams currently sit tied for the top spot with Wheeling, Fairmont State, Glenville State, Charleston, and West Liberty all sitting at 4-1. That big clump will be separated a little this week with Wheeling facing the University of Charleston and Fairmont State battling Glenville State. That means a win could pull Wheeling into either a two or three-way tie for the top spot in the conference and set themselves up for success to start the 2023 portion of the schedule after break. The Cardinals handled their business with their first ranked opponent of the season and look for similar success this time around.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Golden Eagles are meeting for the 35th time in program history, with Charleston holding the all-time series lead at 26-8. However, of their eight wins in the series, five of those have come on their home floor, where they are 5-9 in 14 games. Wheeling will be looking for their first win against the Golden Eagles since the 2018 season, having dropped eight straight to Charleston during that span.
Last time out, Charleston would get the win in Wheeling, beating the Cardinals in a close 85-77 matchup. It was a big day for Lauren Calhoun, who finished with 26 points and 14 rebounds to grab a double-double on the day. Shamia Strayhorn and Ava Lickliter each added big days themselves, scoring 12 points to help pace the Cardinal's offense.
The Details
Tip-off for Saturday afternoon's game is scheduled for 2 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.
