Wheeling, W. Va. - The 2022-2023 season was one of the most successful seasons in Wheeling Women's Basketball recent history as a new era of Cardinal basketball began. The Cardinals bring back several of those key pieces in 2023-2024 as they look to continue their success when they kick-off the season on Friday. It will be the first of back-to-back weekend games during their opening weekend as they host Edinboro on Friday and Mercyhurst on Saturday with tip-off for both games scheduled for 2 PM.
The Cardinals finished the 2022-2023 season with a 14-15 record overall and a 12-10 mark in Mountain East Conference (MEC) play. Their success was built off a hot start to the season, as they swept their opening weekend of non-conference play, before going 4-2 over their first six conference games. They sat at 6-2 overall as they entered the Christmas break and would ride that momentum to clinch the #6 seed in the MEC Tournament. They earned their first, first round bye since the 2017-2018 season and would take on #3 seeded Charleston in the MEC Quarterfinal round. It was a tough contest throughout, but in the end, it was the Golden Eagles who would come out on top with a 62-51 win, ending the Cardinal's tournament run.
With three of their five starters from a season ago returning, the Cardinals will still have plenty of experience on the court. Leading the way will be junior Shamia Strayhorn, who is the Cardinals lone returning All-MEC honoree, after earning Honorable Mention All-MEC honors last season. She set a new career-high, averaging 9.4 points per game while shooting 37.0% from the floor and finishing second on the team with 51 assists. She really turned it on as the calendar flipped to 2023, scoring double figures in 11 of the 18 games she played. During that run, she put up a career-high 22 points against Frostburg State on February 18th, and nearly had a double-double with eight rebounds.
The other two returning starters for the Cardinals are graduate student Jacqui Hinesmon and sophomore Kenzie Dalton, who each were key to the Cardinal's success a season ago. Hinesmon will look to play a big role under the net on both sides of the ball as she brings the most experience on the court. She was second on the team a season ago with 21 blocks and tied for second with an average of 4.6 rebounds per game. The Cardinals also return their offensive leader as Dalton returns as the team's starting point guard. She showed a strong ability to find the open player, leading the Cardinals with 116 assists and sitting third in the conference in assists.
Just like a season ago, Head Coach Anna Kowalska has set up a challenging non-conference schedule to test her team in the early going. They open the season with back-to-back games against Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) opponents in Edinboro and Mercyhurst. They wrap up the early season non-conference schedule against Thomas More on Tuesday before jumping right back into MEC play. The Cardinals will have the benefit of home court advantage early in the year, with each of their first three games coming inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center. They look to take advantage of their home crowd and get off to another hot start in 2023-2024.
The Matchups
Edinboro: The Cardinals and Fighting Scots are meeting for the fourth time in program history on Friday, with Edinboro leading the all-time series at 2-1. However, it will be the first time the two teams have met since November 13th, 2018, as they reignite their rivalry. It will be the second time that the two teams are meeting in Wheeling with the Cardinals dropping the first meeting. Wheeling is looking to get back on track after dropping each of the last two meetings, including a 92-16 loss last time out. The Cardinals were led by former Cardinal Chenelle Moore, who picked up a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Former Cardinal Ashley Rothert added 12 points while former Cardinal Khira Burton led the way with three assists.
Mercyhurst: The Cardinals and Lakers are meeting for the seventh time in program history, with Mercyhurst leading the all-time series with a record of 5-1. It is also the first time the two teams are meeting since December 15th, 2018, as the Cardinals look to break a five-game losing streak. The lone Cardinal win of the series came at home, where Wheeling holds a 1-2 record all-time. The Cardinals are averaging 68.5 points per game in the series and Wheeling looks to restart the series with a bang. In their last meeting, Mercyhurst came away with an 89-64 victory in Erie, PA. The Cardinals were led by former Cardinal Khira Burton, who finished with 16 points, while former Cardinals Allie Taylor and Chenelle Moore each added 10 points.
The Details
The Wheeling Women's Basketball team starts the weekend on Friday, November 10th, when they take on Edinboro at 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.
