Wheeling, W. Va. - The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (7-7, 5-3) was looking to break out of a funk as they brought Mountain East Conference (MEC) play back to the Alma Grace McDonough Center for the first time in 2023. Defense reigned supreme as the Cardinals allowed a season-low 52 points on their way to defeating Concord on Saturday 93-52. The Cardinals allowed just 18 points over the first 20 minutes of play and allowed single digit points in two of the four quarters on the day.

The Cardinals came out hot early as the offense lead the way while the defense was stout with the Cardinals scoring 10 of the first 12 points in the game. Lauren Calhoun and Jacqui Hinesmon each accounted for four points during the run and the Cardinals were out in front 10-2 at the 6:59 mark. However, a Mountain Lion three-pointer got the momentum back on their side and they battled to make it a three-point game over the next minute. Graci Fairman would get her big day started with a jumper and by the first media timeout, the score sat at 12-7. Hinesmon and Calhoun both got back on the board as the Cardinals continued to open things up, this time with a 5-0 run that made it 17-7. Wheeling would hold the Mountain Lions to just four more points in the quarter and after one the Cardinals led 21-11.

The second quarter saw a similarly fast start for the Cardinals, with the team once again scoring the first 10 points to extend their lead to 31-11 with 7:20 left in the half. Concord hit a layup to get back on the board, but after that both defenses stepped up as there was a three minute period where neither team was able to get on the board. The next bycher of the game didn't come until the 4:38 mark when Calhoun hit a layup to get the offense going again. She completed the three-point play and the Cardinals would hit another run that took three more minutes off the clock. This time, the Cardinals would score eight straight points, with three coming from Hinesmon as Wheeling made it a 39-13 game. Concord would hit a small stride at the end of the half, but the Cardinals would hold them to just seven points in the quarter, and headed into halftime ahead 41-18.

Graci Fairman had a big first half, notching 16 points and was a big part of the Wheeling success. As they headed into the second half, the Cardinals once again passed the ball around and got more playwers involved. After not scoring for the first two and a half minutes of the third quarter, Carla Torrubia Cano would get to the free throw line and hit a pair to get the Cardinals back on the board. However, it was the Concord offense that started hot in that quarter cutting into the Cardinals lead to make it 43-22 at the 7:05 mark of the quarter. The Mountain Lions ended up finding themselves in foul trouble and the Cardinals would extend their lead from the free throw line. The Cardinals went 10-10 in the quarter from the charity strike on their way to putting up 19 points in the quarter. Concord had their highest scoring quarter of the game, with 25 points, but Wheeling had built up a big enough lead and led 60-43 heading to the final quarter.

Shamia Strayhorn started the corner with a three-point play and was just getting going in the final She would account for two steals and scored all 11 of her points in the quarter, accounting for a Thurs of her team's points in the quarter. Wheeling would set their new single-quarter scoring record for the season, putting up 33 points over the final 10 minutes. For as good as their offense was, their defense was just as good, allowing just nine points during that same stretch. Head Coach Anna Kowalska got the chance to go to her bench over the final three minutes of the game, with some of their young players getting an opportunity. When all was said and done, Wheeling broke their six-game losing streak and picked up a big 93-52 win to move them to 5-3 in MEC play.

For the second game in a row, the Cardinals would have four players finish the night in double digits. Lauren Calhoun would lead the Cardinal's offense again with 22 points and 11 rebounds on the night to pick up her eighth double-double of the season. After the big start to the first half, Graci Fairman set a new career-high with 20 points, including a perfect 7-7 mark from the free throw line. Shamia Strayhorn (11) and Jacqui Hinesmon (10) rounded out the double digit scorers as every starter got involved. Kenzie Dalton once again led the passing game, with a team-high six assists, and added eight points and seven rebounds on the night.

The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team returns to action on Wednesday, January 11th when they host Fairmont State University with tip-off at 5:30 PM.