Wheeling, W. Va. - On Wednesday, the Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (6-15, 6-11) put together one of their best offensive performances of the season. They look to keep that momentum going as they hit the road to take on #1 Glenville State on Saturday at 1 PM. The Cardinals are out for revenge after taking a loss to the Pioneers on their home court earlier this season and they will need all of their offensive weapons to be clicking.
The Cardinals are coming off of a 77-72 win on Wednesday over Concord where sophomore Shanley Woods led the way with a career-high 31 points. Wheeling got off to a hot start early, outscoring the Mountain Lions 14-7 in the first quarter and kept that momentum going throughout the night. They scored 23 points in both the second and fourth quarters and shot 44% from the floor as a team. As the night went on, Wheeling got better and better shooting the ball and ended the night with a 50% shooting percentage in the fourth quarter. It was a big win for the Cardinals as they head down the stretch trying to secure a spot in the MEC playoffs.
The Cardinals were led in that game by a career-best effort from sophomore Shanley Woods. She scored 31 points on the night, and led her team with four three-pointers. She shot an impressive 7-12 (58.3%) from the floor and was 4-5 from beyond the three-point arc. However, where she really nailed things down was from the free throw line. She to rf the charity stripe 14 times in the game and made 13 of her shots. She came up big going 4-4 after Concord's two technical fouls, and sealed the game going 3-4 from the line. Woods has been getting back to her old self over the last few weeks and saw her hard work pay off on the court.
Around Woods, the Cardinals had two other scorers end the night in double figures. Juniors Lauren Calhoun and Jacqui Hinesmon each added 11 points in the winning effort. For Hinesmon, it was a gig game under the net as she secured six rebounds and shot a healthy 5-9 from the floor. For Calhoun, she was able to keep her double double streak alive, scoring her 11th point halfway through the fourth quarter. She finished the night with 11 points and 15 rebounds, securing her seventh straight double double. The win gives Wheeling some momentum as they head into their matchup with the number one team in Division II Women's Basketball.
As it sits now, the win helps Wheeling keep pace with Alderson Broaddus, Fairmont State, and Concord for the first round bye. Wheeling sits two games back of the Battlers and three games back if the Mountain Lions and Falcons for that coveted sixth-seed. With five games to play Wheeling still has time to battle their way to a first round bye. As it sits now, Wheeling would be the #9 seed in the field and would battle Fairmont State in the first round of the tournament. Wheeling did earn the first round bye last season, and are looking to secure it again in 2022.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Falcons are meeting for the 31st time in team history and the second time this season. Wheeling has gone just 9-22 in those games, and is looking to turn things around. When they play in Glenville, Wheeling has gone 3-13 in those games and have averaged 73.9 points per game against the Pioneers.
The last time the two teams met was in early January in a game that Wheeling fell 141-55. Calhoun picked up a team-high 14 points in the game and former Cardinal Maura Castelluci notched 12 points off the bench. Wheeling is looking for revenge this time around as they try to avenge their earlier season loss
The Details
Tip-off for Saturday's game is scheduled for 1 pm on the campus of Glenville State. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
