Wheeling, W. Va. - As we ring in the holiday season, the Wheeling University Athletic community is getting ready to spend time with friends, family, and loved ones. The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (8-2, 4-1) ring in the holiday season with their final game before the NCAA DII Life and Balance Break on Tuesday. The Cardinals will hit the road as they take on Ursuline College in non-conference action with tip-off scheduled for 2 PM.
It will be the second non-conference game of the team's Christmas break stretch, which started on Friday at home against Pitt-Johnstown. The Cardinals would end up falling behind early, after the Mountain Cats put up 28 first quarter points to take a 14-point advantage. The Cardinals would battle back throughout the game, slowly chipping away at the lead and entering the final quarter, it was a 60-42 game. The back and forth between the two teams continued into the fourth quarter and, with four minutes left the Cardinals trailed 70-53. However, Shamia Strayhorn would hit a free throw and Rachel Wilson would grab the rebound on the second and put it back in. That would start a 12-3 run over the game's final four minutes, but it fell just short as Wheeling dropped the contest 73-65.
After dealing with injury issues the last few weeks, Shamia Strayhorn came back strong as she led the Cardinals with 19 points on the night. Strayhorn continues to be the Cardinal's leading scorer this season, averaging 14.4 points per game, and reached the 19-point mark for the second time this season. Going along with her offensive success was her work on the boards as she led the team with nine rebounds. It was her highest rebound total since picking up seven rebounds against Edinboro in the 2023-2024 season opener. Strayhorn really hit her stride in the second half of the schedule during the 2022-2023 season and looks to continue that second half success as the calendar flips to 2024.
It was also a big game for senior Bryana Henderson, who put up a career-high 15 points in the effort, including a team-high three three-pointers. Henderson has provided a spark off the bench for the Cardinals this season and Friday's game marked the sixth time this season that she finished with multiple three-pointers in a game. The other double-digit scorer was graduate student Jacqui Hinesmon, who finished with 11 points and six rebounds. She was the Cardinal's most efficient shooter on the day, shooting 55.5% from the floor. She has been the leader for the Cardinals on the court this season and looks to get them back on track before the Christmas break.
As the Cardinals continue through the 2023 Christmas break schedule, they continue to face tough regional opponents. The stretch started with Friday's match against Pitt-Johnstown and continues with back-to-back regional games against Ursuline and Lake Erie College to round out the year. After taking their first two losses of the season, the Cardinals will look to bounce back in these non-conference games before hitting the meet of their Mountain East Conference (MEC) schedule when they begin the 2024 portion of their schedule.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Arrows are meeting for the second time in program history, with Ursuline winning the first meeting back in 2019. It will be the second time the two teams have met in Pepper Pike, Ohio with the Cardinals scoring 67 points in that first meeting. As they meet for the first time in four seasons, the Cardinals are looking to even the all-time series in this meeting.
Their first meeting came on December 19th, 2019, where Ursuline picked up a 78-67 victory on their home court. The Cardinals were led by former Cardinal Lilly Ritz, who finished with 28 points and 14 rebounds on the day. Jacqui Hinesmon finished behind her with nine points and former Carinal Jillian Hawks added seven points on the day.
The Details
Tip-off for Tuesday afternoon's game is scheduled for 2 PM inside the Jane & Lee Seidman Gymnasium on the campus of Wheeling University. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
