Wheeling, W. Va. – During the first half of the 2024-2025 season, the Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (4-3, 1-0) has been no stranger to being on the road. That stretch continues on Wednesday night as they open the final Mountain East Conference (MEC) stretch of the first half. The Cardinals begin the stretch against Davis & Elkins as they look to build on their 1-0 start to conference play.
Last time out, the Cardinals welcomed Ursuline College to the Alma Grace McDonough Center as they returned from the Thanksgiving Break. It was a tightly contested game early on and, despite making 50% of their first half shots, the Cardinals would find themselves down 17-14 after one quarter. However, the team turned to the three-ball, hitting four of the seven they attempted in the quarter. It sparked them to a 21-point quarter and they went into halftime with a 34-31 lead. The three-pointer was a staple of the team's success throughout the night and with 20 more points, and two more three-pointers, the Cardinals extended their lead to 11 heading into the final quarter. Ursuline would battle back, outscoring the Cardinals 19-17, but the damage had been done as Wheeling picked up a 72-63 win.
With a young team, the Cardinals have been looking for a veteran to take the lead, and graduate student Bryana Henderson has done just that. She tied for the team lead with 15 points against Ursuline, hitting the 15 point mark for the third time in the last four games, while shooting 38.4% from the floor. During that four-game span, the graduate student has averaged 14.0 PPG and has raised her season total into double figures at 10.3 PPG. Last season, Henderson was primarily a spark plug off the bench, and looks to bring that spark into the starting five. She is one of two non-freshman starters for the team, and has been a key part of the Cardinal's current three-game winning streak.
One of those freshman who continued her success against Ursuline was Kirstel Rattasepp. She tied with Henderson for the team lead with 15 points and was a perfect 2-2 from beyond the arc. Rattasepp was one of the Cardinal's most efficient shooters on the night, posting a 42.7% mark from the floor. Rattasepp has taken advantage of her starting role from day one, leading the Cardinals with 12.4 PPG, while shooting 40.7% from the floor. Rounding out the big day for the Cardinals was Emilia Sierra Lacosta, who finished with 11 points while leading the team with three three-pointers in the game. She finished 3-5 from beyond the arc and sits second on the team with a 38.1% mark from beyond the arc. Sierra Lacosta and Rattasepp have each gotten out to strong starts and look to carry that success throughout the year.
Wednesday kicks off the final conference stretch of the first half, with the Cardinals playing four straight MEC games over the next two weeks. It will be a key stretch of games for the Cardinals before the Christmas break as they try and set themselves up for success. Last season, the Cardinals would go 3-1 across those four games and it was a big reason for the team earning the first round bye for the second season in a row. With a young team this season, early wins will be crucial to the team's success down the stretch as they battle for one of the top six spots in the conference. It was a strong start in their conference opener, and they are looking to ride that success.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Senators are meeting for the 28th time in program history on Wednesday, with the Cardinals leading the all-time series at 21-6. Wheeling has been even better on the road in the all-time matchup, going 7-2 away from the Alma Grace McDonough Center, and the Cardinals have been the victors in each of the last four meetings between the two teams. It has been a relatively low scoring series overall, with the Cardinals averaging 69.78 PPG.
The last meeting between the two teams came on February 2nd, 2024, in a game the Cardinals would win 62-55. Former Cardinal Briarley Rogers would pace the Cardinal's effort, finishing with a team high 13 points and seven rebounds. Rachel Wilson and Graci Fairman would each get into double figures, scoring 12 points each, while Wilson and former Cardinals Shamia Strayhorn and Kadie Colebank each had six rebounds to round out the day.
The Details
Tip-off for Wednesday night's game is scheduled for 5:30 PM inside the McDowell Center on the campus of Davis & Elkins University. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
