Wheeling, W. Va. - On Wednesday night, the Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (5-14, 5-10) played one of their most exciting games of the year, going to double overtime with The University of Charleston. They now hit the road as they get set for a rematch with West Virginia State on Saturday at 2 PM. The Cardinals battled the former #9 team in the region back in December and are looking for a bounce back effort this time around.
On Wednesday, the Cardinals battled, but fell to the Golden Eagles 82-77 in double overtime to fall to 5-10 in conference play. After tying the game in the third quarter, Wheeling, and The University of Charleston each put up 18 fourth quarter points to send the game to overtime. The game nearly ended in that first overtime when the Cardinals trailed by five points with a minute to go, but the Cardinals battled back to tie the game at 70-70. However, when they fell behind in the second overtime it was too much to overcome as they fell 82-77.
While she wasn't the offensive leader, one of the brightest stars on the night for the Cardinals was junior Taylor Cullen. When her team was down 70-65 with a minute to go in the first overtime, Cullen scored all five points to tie the game at 70-70 and force the second overtime period. Cullen finished the night with seven points, five of those coming in that first overtime, and has been taking advantage of more time on the court. She may not have led the scoring effort, but she was one of the biggest difference makers in the game for the Cardinals.
Fellow junior Lauren Calhoun picked up her fifth straight double-double in the game, leading the offense with 26 points while grabbing 14 rebounds. She upped her season average to 20.5 points per game and is creeping up on the single-season points per game effort of 22.6. Two other Cardinals finished the night in double digits with Shamia Strayhorn and Ava Lickliter each putting up 12 points in the game. For Lickliter, it was a season-high effort as she took advantage of her increase in minutes and is making an impact on the offense.
Saturday will mark the final game on this stretch of seven games in 14 days where Wheeling has gone 3-3. A win would ensure a winning record for the Cardinals during the stretch and would get them one step closer to a possible first round bye in the MEC tournament. It won't be easy, with West Virginia State sitting second in the conference, but the Cardinals will look to dig deep and avenge the loss they took at home back in December.
The Matchup
Saturday will mark the 20th all-time matchup between the two teams, with Wheeling holding the advantage at 15-14 against the Yellow Jackets. While the Cardinals hold a winning record at home in the series, West Virginia State holds the winning record when they play in Institute, West Virginia, going 8-6 against the Cardinals. Wheeling has won four of their past five games against the Yellow Jackets taking their first loss since January 12th, 2019, back in December.
West Virginia State won that game 99-95, but it took overtime to come to the final result thanks to a 29-point fourth quarter from the Cardinals. Sophomore Shanley Woods had her season-best effort in that game, scoring 25 points and hitting five three-pointers in the game. Lauren Calhoun also scored 20+ points in the game, finishing the night with 23 points and 13 rebounds.
The Details
Tip-off for Saturday night's game is scheduled for 2 pm on the campus of West Virginia State. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
