Wheeling, W. Va. – The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (3-0, 0-0) has been enjoying some home cooking to start the season as they were back inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center on Tuesday night. They picked up their third win in a row to start the 2023-2024 season as they took down Thomas More 78-72. It is the team's first 3-0 start since the 2016-2017 season, which was also the last time they won the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Championship.

The first half was a quarter of runs with Wheeling building a lead early and Thomas More answering in the second quarter. After Thomas More got the first two points of the night on free throws, Jacqui Hinesmon came in with a layup that got the Cardinals on the board. Shamia Strayhorn followed with a layup and the Cardinals would score six of the next nine points to take a 6-5 advantage. That is when the Cardinals hit their first run of the game as Kenzie Dalton started things with a three-pointer. The Cardinals would score 10 straight points to push their lea to 14-5 and were clicking on all cylinders. The Saints began to fight back, but the Cardinals just kept scoring. They would score a season-high 27 points in the quarter and found themselves ahead 27-15 after one. 

However, as the second quarter kicked off, it was time for Thomas More to hit their stride. The Saints hit a three-pointer to start things off and slowly chipped into the Cardinal lead. Graci Fairman would hit a layup at the 8:25 mark of the quarter, but that would be the lone Cardinal score in the first five minutes of the quarter. Thomas More would roll on a 15-2 run and turned what was a 12- point Cardinal lead into a one-point game at 29-28. Bryana Henderson would get the Cardinal's offense going again with back-to-back three-pointers and Wheeling was ahead once again 35-28 with 3:30 left before the half. With the Saints back in it, the two teams would go back and forth during that time, with the Cardinals holding no larger than that seven points lead. Briarley Rogers hit a jumper in the final seconds of the quarter, and it was enough to keep Wheeling on top 39-36 at halftime.

The hot start had helped the Cardinals hold the lead as the shot an impressive 60% from the floor in the first quarter. They would use this efficient shooting throughout the night as they never shot less than 41% in any of the four quarters. As they came out for the second half, Thomas More would take their first lead of the game as back-to-back shots, including a three-pointer, made it a 41-39 affair. They extended their lead to as much as 44-39 before a Rachel Wilson layup stopped the run. With the Cardinals down for the first time on the night, they turned to one of their veterans Shamia Strayhorn to help pick them out. Strayhorn, who hit a three-pointer and a layup that made it a 47-46 game. Graci Fairman added a three-pointer and Wheeling was back in the saddle ahead 49-47. However, Thomas More would retake the lead and held it heading into the fourth quarter at 58-57.

With their perfect record on the line, the Cardinals were looking for a spark as they kicked off the final quarter. They would get just that as Strayhorn hot a layup that would send the Cardinals on an 8-0 run. It helped them build a 65-58 lead, one that the Cardinals would not give up the rest of the night. As they hit the final media timeout, Wheeling had a 65-60 lead and were looking to hold off the Pioneers. Wheeling would end up outscoring the Saints 13-12 over the final five minutes of play, securing the win with their free throw shooting. They went 6-6 from the free throw line over the final 30 seconds of play, with Dalton hitting four of those six free throws, and the Cardinals would go on to win by the final score of 78-72.

Leading the way for the Cardinals was junior Shamia Strayhorn, who finished with 16 points, one assist, and five rebounds on the night. It was the second time in the first three games that Strayhorn has been the team's leading scorer as she continues her hot start to the season. The Cardinals had two other double figure scorers in Briarley Rogers and Kenzie Dalton, who each finished with 10 points on the night. Three different Cardinals led the defensive effort with six rebounds each, with Dalton, Jacqui Hinesmon, and Kadie Colebank each hitting the mark. Hinesmon rounded out the day leading the way with six assists as the Cardinals start 3-0 for the first time since the 2016-2017 season.

The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team returns to action on Saturday, November 18th, when they hit the road to face Notre Dame College at 2 PM.