Wheeling, W. Va. - On Wednesday, the Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (5-15, 5-11) returns home to take on Concord at 5:30 pm. With several Mountain East Conference (MEC) playoff spots on the line over the next couple of weeks, the Cardinals are looking to get back on track as they make a push for WesBanco arena.
The last time they took the floor, the Cardinals battled a tough West Virginia State team that was recently ranked in the top 10 of the Atlantic Region. The Cardinals came out shooting early and put together one of their best quarters of the season, scoring 25 points. However, the Yellow Jackets put up 39 points in that same quarter and had Wheeling playing from behind the rest of the day. Unlike the first time these two teams met, Wheeling was unable to force an overtime period and fell 114-75 to move to 5-11 in conference play.
Junior Lauren Calhoun continued her impressive season, leading the way with 19 points and 12 rebounds in the effort. It was Calhoun's sixth consecutive double-double as the MEC's leading scorer continues to get it done from both sides of the ball. She enters Wednesday's game, averaging a conference-best 20.4 points per game, sitting three points higher than the next player. Calhoun also sits third in the conference in rebounding, averaging 11.5 rebounds per game, and has established herself as a dominant force in the conference.
However, Wheeling has also dealt with some roster turnover this season and is getting strong production from their bench players. Junior Taylor Cullen and freshman Ally Ziegler have taken those opportunities and rolled with them. Ziegler led the bench with 10 points last game and reached double digits for the first time in her collegiate career. Cullen came up big in the overtime loss to Charleston last week and added another strong effort against the Yellow Jackets with six points. With Calhoun leading the way, having two bench players who are getting better and better is huge for Wheeling as the season moves forward.
With the MEC playoffs sitting just three weeks away, the Cardinals are trying to play their way into the tournament throughout the month. They currently sit in ninth place in the MEC with six games left on their schedule. They are two games back of Alderson Broaddus for eighth place and have a chance to improve their standing. Five of their final six games come against teams that are above them in the standings, so wins will prove to be even bigger down the stretch.
The Matchup
Wednesday will mark the 33rd all-time match-up between the Cardinals and Mountain Lions and the second game this season. Wheeling has had the advantage all-time, going 20-12 in those first 32 games, but the two teams have split each of their last four games. When the game is played in Wheeling, the Cardinals have played much better, going 12-4 against Concord compared to a 7-7 mark when the teams play in Athens, West Virginia.
In their first game of the year, Concord got the best of Wheeling with an 83-66 win as Wheeling went on the road. The Cardinals made a comeback attempt at the end, but it was too little too late after a slow start to the game. It was Calhoun once again leading the way for the Cardinals with 21 points on the day and she was one of three Cardinals players to end the night in double digits.
The Details
Tip-off for Wednesday night's game against Concord is scheduled for 5:30 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.
