Wheeling, W. Va. - The month of February has challenged the Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (12-11, 10-7) as they have had to go against several ranked regional opponents in their first week and a half of play. Things don't get any easier for the Cardinals on Saturday as they return home to take on the defending NCAA DII National Champion Glenville State Pioneers with tip-off at 2 PM. The Cardinals are looking to break a three-game losing streak as they battle to clinch a first-round bye in the 2023 Mountain East Conference (MEC) playoffs.
They had a chance to do that last time out, but Concord got the best of the team as they fell 75-68. It was the Cardinals who would get out to the hot start on defense, allowing just four Mountain Lion points through the first 10 minutes of play. Wheeling was staked to an 11-4 lead but, by halftime, the Mountain Lions had caught back up and the game was deadlocked at 25-25. The Cardinals came out strong in the third quarter, putting up 22 points to retake their lead, but Concord would close things out with a game-high 33 points over the final 10 minutes of play as they grabbed the 75-68 win. The Cardinals dropped to 10-7 in MEC play with the loss and need a win and a Concord loss on Saturday to clinch the first-round bye.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was sophomore Shamia Strayhorn, who put together a season-best effort with 18 points on the night. Strayhorn has been on fire since the Calendar flipped to 2023, averaging 10.3 points per game across the 12-game stretch. Strayhorn's biggest success came from the free throw line, where she went 3-4 while shooting a total of 7-12 (58.3%) from the floor. With five more regular season games remaining, Strayhorn will look to continue to be a strong scorer for the Cardinals as she helps move the offense.
Freshman Graci Fairman was the other double figure scorer for the Cardinals, coming off the bench for 12 points on the night. Of her 12 points, eight came from the free throw line as Fairman continues to excel in those situations. Fairman has the fourth-highest free throw percentage on the team this season, sitting at 75.3%, and is third in free throws made with 62. Fellow freshman Kenzie Dalton continues her strong season as the team's point guard, finishing with a team-high six assists. She still sits five assists shy of the conference lead with 103 and added nine points and four rebounds to the team's effort.
With five regular season games left, the Cardinals are still holding on to the #6 spot in the MEC Tournament field. They sit three games ahead of Concord for the spot and need both a win on Saturday and a Concord loss to West Liberty in order to clinch the six seed and pick up the first-round bye. However, their next two games come against teams that are currently ahead of them in the standings in Glenville State and Fairmont State, giving the Cardinals an opportunity to continue climbing the standings and possibly get higher than the six seed.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Pioneers are meeting for the 35th time in team history on Saturday as they close out the 2022-23 season series. Glenville State currently leads the series with a record of 25-9 but, in Wheeling things have been a lot closer with the Cardinals going 5-8 in 13 all-time games. Wheeling will be looking for their first win against the Pioneers since the 2017 season, spanning a 12-game stretch. Glenville State has scored 100 points in five of the last six games as the Cardinals try to slow the Pioneer's offense.
In their first meeting of the season, Wheeling went on the road and dropped a competitive game to the Pioneers 84-68. Lauren Calhoun led the way with 15 points and 13 rebounds and was one of four Cardinals to finish in double figures. Shamia Strayhorn (12), Jacqui Hinesmon (11), and Graci Fairman (11) all hit double figures in the game.
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.
