Wheeling, W. Va. – Playoff time is just around the corner and as things are heating up on the court, one of the biggest rivalries in the Ohio Valley is set to come to the Alma Grace McDonough Center. The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (10-7, 8-3) get set to host their first edition of "The Battle for Wheeling" Saturday when they host West Liberty with tip-off at 2 PM. It is a battle of two teams tied for third place in the conference as both try to gain an edge here at the end of January.
The Cardinals enter play on Saturday having won each of their last four games and four of their last five. Last time out, they took down Notre Dame College 86-53 on a night where the offense was clicking on all cylinders. Early on, the defense was strong holding the Falcons to single digits in each of the first two quarters of the game. After the Cardinals struggled to get going early, the offense found its groove putting up 43 first half points. When all was said and done, the Cardinals had a 43-13 lead heading into halftime and only grew it from there. Head Coach Anna Kowalska got to get some experience for her bench players, and they added 43 more points in the second half to claim the victory. The Cardinals moved to 7-3 in MEC play heading into their rivalry week.
The big moments from Wednesday's game came in the second quarter with 4:05 left in the game. Senior Lauren Calhoun scored the 1,000th point of her career, bringing her total for the first half to 17. She finished the night with 21 total points and 17 rebounds as she took home her 11th double double of the season. Calhoun also became the 29th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point mark and will now look to climb the all-time scoring list as the season goes on. She is averaging 19.1 points per game this season and sits fourth in the conference in scoring this season. As the Cardinals come down the playoff stretch, Calhoun will be a key piece to the Cardinal's success as they try to claim one of the top six spots and get a first round bye.
Since the Calendar turned to 2023, the Cardinals have been getting a spark off the bench from freshman Graci Fairman. She added 14 more points to her season total on Wednesday, and since the new year has been averaging 10.6 points per game. Her and fellow freshman Kenzie Dalton have turned into the top two points guards for the team as they have helped lead this strong offensive attack. Another strong part of the Cardinals game as of late has been their defense. They held Notre Dame College to single digits in two of the four quarters on Wednesday night as they let their offense build a lead. Wheeling's defense will have to be just as strong Saturday as they try to slow down the third highest scoring team in the MEC.
With the win on Wednesday, the Cardinals positioned themselves nicely as they head down the MEC Tournament stretch run. They are currently tied for fourth with West Liberty with identical 7-3 records but sit one game behind the top three teams in the conference. Glenville State, Charleston, and West Virginia State all enter Saturday sitting at 8-2 in conference play. With five and a half weeks left in the regular season, and all five of the top teams remaining on their schedule, there is still plenty of time left for the Cardinals to fight for that top spot in this year's tournament.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Hilltoppers are meeting for the 47th time in program history, with West Liberty leading the all-time series with a record of 34-12. However, when the series is played in Wheeling, the Cardinals have had much more success with a record of 8-12 in those games. The Hilltoppers swept the season series last year and have taken four of the last five games from the Cardinals.
In their most recent meeting, West Liberty earned an 82-46 victory inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center to end the 2022-23 regular season. Lauren Calhoun led the effort in that game with 12 points and 15 rebounds to pick up a double double. Shamia Strayhorn rounded out the night for the Cardinals, adding 10 points and seven rebounds to finish the day.
The Details
Tip-off for Saturday'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.
