Wheeling, W. Va. – The Wheeling Women's Basketball team (11-3, 6-1) continued their gauntlet of a schedule to start January on Saturday when they traveled to Frostburg State on Saturday. The Cardinal's offense got off to a strong start, scoring 40 first half points and rode a strong defensive effort as they took down the Bobcats 68-59. The bench played a big role in the team's offensive success, accounting for 26 points, lead by a big day from Sophomore Graci Fairman.

Fairman was one of three Cardinals to hit double figures on the day, tying her career-high with 20 points. She was the Cardinals' most efficient shooter from the floor, putting up a 58.3% (7-12) mark, while continuing her success from the three-point line. She finished 3-5 from beyond the arc to lead the team and brought her season mark to 17-33 (51.5%) to lead the team. The other player to finish in double digits were Briarley Rogers (11) and Kenzie Dalton (10) as they rounded out the offensive attack. Dalton would also lead the passing game, finishing with five assists, and Rachel Wilson led the defensive effort with 11 rebounds to tie her season high.

The offense came fast and furious in the first half as both teams shot over 40% over the first 10 minutes. It was Wilson who would get the scoring started for the Cardinals with a layup before the teams traded the first 12 points of the contest. The first advantage of more than two points would go to the Bobcats, who went on a 5-0 run and led 9-6 at the first media timeout. After Wilson got the Cardinals back on track with a free throw, Fairman would start her big day with a pair of free throws and a three-pointer that cut the Bobcat lead to 13-12. Another Fairman free throw tied things at 13-13 and she would give her team the lead with a three-pointer with 50 seconds to go to give the Cardinals an 18-17 lead after one.

The second quarter was all about defense for the Cardinals, as they held the Bobcats to single digits over the next 10 minutes. The Cardinals entered the game allowing a Mountain East Conference (MEC) low 61.7 PPG and they showed why when they held Frostburg State to just seven second quarter points. The Cardinal's offense would take advantage, putting up 22 points in the quarter as they pulled ahead. After extending their lead to 25-20, the Cardinals would hit their first big run putting up seven unanswered. They added a 5-0 run two minutes later and entered the halftime break with a 40-24 advantage.

However, Frostburg State would make their halftime adjustments and outscored the Cardinals in each of the final two quarters. A Bobcat layup and a three-pointer started things off, as they cut into the Cardinals lead, but the Cardinals answered with four of their own to make it 44-29. After building a 46-32 lead before the media timeout, the Cardinals found themselves on a 6-0 run as they hit the 50-point mark to extend their lead to 52-32. A pair of free throws by Briarley Rogers would account for the final two Cardinal points of the quarter, and after three quarters of play it was a 54-38 Cardinal advantage.

Frostburg State would make a push over the final 10 minutes, scoring a game-high 20 points. After Dalton scored a layup to start the quarter, the Bobcats began to battle back with four straight points. Bryana Henderson answered with a three-pointer to bring the score to 59-43 with 8:20 to play. Jacqui Hinesmon would add a layup to get the Cardinals over the 60-point mark. After the final media timeout the Cardinals had a 61-49 lead and would have to hold off a final Boncat push. The early lead would end up being enough as the Cardinals sealed things from the free throw line. Hinesmon, Dalton, and Rogers all got in on the action as the Cardinals sealed the 69-58 victory.

The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team returns to action on Wednesday, January 17th, when they hit the road to face Glenville State with tip-off at 5:30 PM.