Wheeling, W. Va. - Following the break for Thanksgiving, the Collegiate Sports Communicators (CSC) released their weekly Atlantic Regional Women's Basketball poll. After being ranked for the first time since the poll's creation a week ago, the Cardinals continue to climb the ladder in the Atlantic Region after a 1-0 week. They jumped three spots this week, getting up to #6 in the region and were marked as the third highest ranked team in the Mountain East Conference (MEC). 

The Cardinals continued their home stretch before breaking for the Thanksgiving holiday when they took on Salem University. The Cardinals fell behind early but were able to get the lead back with a three-pointer and a layup at the end of the first quarter to take an 18-13 lead. They would add a 26-point effort in the second quarter and would never give that lead back the rest of the night. They had a 20-point advantage at the half and sealed the deal with another 26-point effort in the fourth quarter that sealed the Cardinal's fate. They went on to win 85-56 and got off to a 5-0 start to the season for the first time since the 2016-2017 season. 

The Cardinals were led in the game by a pair of PR performances as Shamia Strayhorn and Graci Fairman each got over the 20-point mark on the night. For Strayhorn, it was a continuation of what has been a strong season for the junior so far, where she has averaged 15.8 points per game. It was the fourth time in the first five games that Strayhorn has scored 16 points or more and was the second time that she was able to get over the 20-point mark. She beat her previous high by one point and looks to continue to be a leader for the Cardinals. For Fairman, she helped the Cardinals seal the deal, scoring 11 of her 20 points in the final 10 minutes of play. She was the Cardinal's most efficient shooter on the day, shooting 75% from the floor and 5-6 from the free throw lone to finish off the big day. 

For the second week in a row, it was the CAL-U Vulcans leading the way, sitting atop the region with a record of 4-0. The rest of the top three was shuffled as Gannon jumped from #3 to #2, while West Chester rounds out the top three, falling from #2 to #3. The rest of the CSC DII Women's Basketball Atlantic Regional Poll looks like this: 

1. CAL-U (4-0)
2. Gannon (7-1)
3. West Chester (4-1)
4. Glenville State (4-1)
5. Fairmont State (5-0)
6. Wheeling (5-0)
T-7. Fayetteville State (4-1)
T-7. Virginia State (5-0)
9. West Virginia State (3-2)
10. IUP

The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team returns to action on Wednesday, November 29th, when they host Davis & Elkins with tip-off at 5:30 PM.