Wheeling, W. Va. - The early portion of the season keeps rolling on for the Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (8-0, 4-0) as they continued their historic run. On Saturday, they wrap up the 2023 part of their MEC schedule when they return home to face The University of Charleston with tip-off scheduled for 2 PM. The Golden Eagles were ranked second in the annual Mountain East Conference (MEC) Women's Basketball preseason poll and the Cardinals look to prove they are one of the top teams in the MEC.
The Cardinals have found different ways to win all season, and that trend continued Wednesday night as they traveled to Institute, West Virginia. As they have in each of the last three games, the team got out to a hot start, scoring 22 first quarter points to take a 22-9 lead. However, it would be the defense that took center stage, as they held the Yellow Jackets to just 17 points over the first 20 minutes of play. That defensive stand would prove crucial in the second half, as the Yellow Jackets outscored the Cardinals 33-20 over the final 20 minutes and forced overtime with the score knotted up at 50-50. The Yellow Jackets held a slight 54-53 lead with 2:47 to play in the extra time before the Cardinals would hit a 10-0 run that clinched the victory as they went on to win 63-56 for their eighth straight victory.
The Cardinal's defense has played big all season long, but Wednesday was one of their best performances to date. The 56 points was tied for the second fewest allowed by the team this season and it was the fifth time in the first eight games that the Cardinals kept their opponents under the 60-point mark. Wheeling remains the top defensive team in the MEC, holding opponents to 59.5 points per game, and they remain the only defense in the conference to hold their opponents to an average of less than 60 points per game. Head Coach Anna Kowalska stresses strong defense night in and night out from her team, and the results are showing for the Cardinals early on.
One of the defensive leaders on the night was redshirt sophomore Rachel Wilson, who also had a career night on the offensive end. To go along with her team-leading eight rebounds, Wilson also set a new career-high with 17 points while shooting 61.5% from the floor. She was one of four Cardinals to hit double figures on the night as the offense continues to share the ball. Briarley Rogers continued her success from three-point range, hitting a team-high two three-pointers on the night, while Jacqui Hinesmon added 12 points and was the Cardinal's most efficient shooter, posting a 66.6% mark from the floor.
With the final game of the 2023 portion of their schedule coming on Saturday, the Cardinals look to keep rolling as they head into the break. The top of the MEC is crowded to start the year, with four teams sitting within one game of the top spot in the conference. That spot is currently held by Fairmont State, who is off to a 5-0 start to their conference schedule, followed by Wheeling who sits a half game back at 4-0. Sitting one game behind them are Frostburg State and West Liberty, who sit at 4-1 and 3-1 respectively to round out the top four. The Cardinals will not see any of those four teams until the 2024 portion of the MEC schedule rolls around but look to keep pace in this final part of the 2023 schedule as they carry the momentum into the break.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Golden Eagles will be meeting for the 38th time in program history, with Charleston holding the advantage with a record of 29-8. The Cardinals have played better at home in the series, posting a 5-10 record against the Golden Eagles, but it has been a low scoring affair, with Wheeling averaging just 61.03 points per game. The Cardinals are looking to break an 11-game skid against Charleston, with their last win coming back on February 8th, 2018.
Their most recent meeting came in the quarterfinal round of last season's MEC Tournament, where Charleston picked up a 62-51 victory to advance to the final four. In that game, the Cardinals were led by former Cardinal Lauren Calhoun, who finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds on the night. The Cardinals couldn't generate much more offense after that, with former Cardinal Fatima Mohammad putting up eight points and Bryana Henderson adding five to round out the night.
The Details
Tip-off for Saturday's game is scheduled for 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.
