Wheeling, W. Va. - Coming off the high of a big overtime win against their crosstown rival West Liberty, the Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (14-4, 9-2) is rounding out January with momentum on their side. They look to keep that momentum going on Wednesday night when they travel to Charleston, West Virginia to take on the Golden Eagles with tip-off at 5:30 PM. After taking a loss to Glenville State back on January 17th, the Cardinals have bounced back with three straight wins and reduced their magic number to clinch a playoff spot to two.
It wouldn't be easy for the Cardinals on Saturday as they had to play their third overtime game of the season to get the victory over the Hilltoppers. The Cardinals got out to a fast start, as they have over the past three games, outscoring the Hilltoppers 21-16 over the first ten minutes. However, West Liberty returned the favor in the second quarter and the Cardinals headed into halftime with a 33-31 lead. That two-point lead would prove to be just enough as the Cardinals and Hilltoppers went back and forth through the second half until the game sat tied at 71-71 at the end of regulation. In the overtime period, Wheeling came out strong, scoring six of the first seven points as they went on to win 77-72. The win pushed them to 3-0 in overtime games this season and moved them to 14-4 on the season.
The Cardinals continued to pass the ball around effectively, with five players finishing in double figures for the third game in a row. Leading the way for Wheeling was graduate student Jacqui Hinesmon, who finished with a career-high 22 points on the night. The Cardinals totaled 38 of their 83 points in the paint on the night, with Hinesmon accounting for 22 of those 38. She has been a big player under the net for the Cardinals this season and, along with her career offensive day, led the defensive effort with nine rebounds. The graduate student shot 66.7% (8-12) from the floor, as she continues to be the Cardinal's most efficient shooter with a 54.7 field goal percentage this season.
Behind Hinesmon, Graci Fairman continued her success in the new calendar year, putting up 16 points as she got her first start of the season. Since the calendar flipped to 2024, the sophomore is averaging 13.6 PPG and is on the cusp of averaging double-digits with 9.9 PPG this season. Fairman continues to play a big role in her team's success and looks to take advantage of her opportunity. While the Cardinals defense has been a strength throughout the season, it has been the offense that has stepped up as of late. The Cardinals have now had five players in double figures in each of their last three games as they spread the ball around effectively. The Cardinals are the eighth highest scoring offense in the conference this season and look to continue to climb the ladder down the stretch.
As they enter play on Wednesday, the Cardinals sit tied atop the Mountain East Conference (MEC) with Fairmont State at 9-2. With a little over a month to go in the regular season, the Cardinals are setting themselves in good position and look to punch their ticket to the MEC Tournament early. Their magic number has been reduced to two, and a win would set up a scenario where the Cardinals could punch their ticket to the MEC Tournament at home on Saturday. However, Charleston is looking to climb the ladder in the division standings, and currently sits three games back of the Cardinals entering Wednesday.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Golden Eagles are meeting for the 39th time in program history on Wednesday and the second time during the 2023-2024 campaign. The Golden Eagles lead the all-time series with a record of 30-8, while the Cardinals are just 2-14 when they make the trip to Charleston, West Virginia. The Cardinals have not beaten Charleston since February 8th, 2018, and have not picked up a road win against them since January 4th of that same year.
In their first meeting of the season, Wheeling fell at home to the Golden Eagles in a 66-53 affair. Leading the way for the Cardinals was Briarley Rogers, who finished with 16 points while shooting 2-5 from three-point range. Shamia Strayhorn was the other Cardinal to hit double figures on the day, putting up 13 points, including a 3-4 mark from the free throw line, to round out the offense.
The Details
Tip-off for Wednesday night's game is scheduled for 5:30 PM inside the Wehrle Innovation Center on the campus of the University of Charleston. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
