Wheeling, W. Va. – The month of January has seen the Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (12-4, 7-2) hit the road a lot, with four of their seven games coming on the road. They wrap up their home slate for the month on Wednesday when they host Notre Dame College with tip-off at 5:30 PM. The Cardinals are an impressive 7-2 on their home floor and look to continue their success as they head into a home heavy month in February.
Last time out, the Cardinals hosted Concord and had to play come from behind. They fell behind 15-12 in the first quarter and shot just 28.6% from the field. They found their shot during the second quarter, upping that number to 50%, but were still outscored by the Mountain Lions 16-14 in the quarter. They went into halftime trailing 31-26 and needed a big offensive push to get them back in the driver's seat. They did just that in the third quarter, setting a new season high scoring 33 points in the quarter. They also shot a game-high 61.1% from the floor and built a 59-44 lead heading into the final 10 minutes of play. Concord would make a final push, outscoring the Cardinals 20-14 over the final 10 minutes of play, but the Cardinals were able to hold them off and pick up the 73-64 win.
Wheeling was led by the efforts of sophomore Graci Fairman, who has been on a hot streak over her last six games. She led the Cardinals with 18 points in Saturday's game and upped her average to 13.3 points per game over the last six contests. During that stretch, Fairman has been one of the Cardinal's most efficient shooters, shooting an even 50% from the floor (25-50) and 62.5% from beyond the arc. She has been in double figures in five of those six contests, providing a much needed spark off the bench for the Cardinals. Fairman also plays an important role on the defensive side of the ball for the Cardinals, which has ranked as one of the top defenses in the conference, and she looks to continue her success as she moves into the finalontj of the season.
A big component to the Cardinal's breakout third quarter was their ability to pass the ball. The team had five different players finish in double figures on the day, with Briarley Rogers (14), Shamia Strayhorn (12), Jacqui Hinesmon (12), and Rachel Wilson (10) joining Fairman. Seven different Cardinals scored on the night, thanks to the passing work of both Shamia Strayhorn and Kenzie Dalton. Strayhorn led the team with a season-high six assists on the day while Dalton finished right behind her with five assists. Dalton currently ranks third in the MEC in both assists (63) and assists/game (3.9) as she continues to be a leader for the Cardinal's offense. Strayhorn set a new season-high for assists and ranks as the 10th leading scorer in the conference, averaging 13.7 PPG.
With the season coming down to its final month of the regular season, the race is on for the 2024 MEC Tournament. The Cardinals are looking to clinch their spot early, and their magic number entering Wednesday night's game is five, meaning any combination of five Wheeling wins or five West Virginia Wesleyan losses would guarantee the Cardinals a spot in the tournament. However, the team's goals are much loftier than just making the tournament, they want to be competitors in the tournament. They currently sit one game behind Fairmont State for the top spot in the conference, while holding a one-game lead themselves over Glenville State, West Virginia State, and Frostburg State for the number two spot. The Cardinals look to keep on winning and get into the tournament as one of the top two seeds.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Falcons will be meeting for the 24th time in program history, with Notre Dame College leading the series with a record of 15-8. The Cardinals have faired slightly better at home during that span, going 4-6 in 10 previous games inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center, compared to a 3-8 record on the road. However, the Cardinals have won three of the last four meetings between the two teams, including splitting the season series a year ago.
Wednesday night will mark the second meeting between the two teams this season, with Wheeling winning the first contest 70-57. The Cardinals were led in that game by Shamia Strayhorn, who put up 18 points and shot 7-12 from the floor. Bryana Henderson had a big day off the bench, finishing with 12 points while Kadie Colebank set her career-high with 13 rebounds on the night.
The Details
Tip-off for Wednesday night's game is scheduled for 5:30 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.
