Wheeling, W. Va. - It will be another celebratory Saturday inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center as the Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (16-9, 11-7) honors one of the best teams in program history. There will be a special pregame ceremony at 1:50 PM as the Cardinals honor the 1993-1994 Women's Basketball team who took home the first-ever regular season and West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) Championship in program history as well as being the first team to qualify for a National Championship tournament. Following the ceremony, the Cardinals will battle Glenville State with tip-off at 2 PM as they continue their journey to a conference championship of their own.
Last time out, the Cardinals hit the road to face Concord and was able to get off to a fast start. The two teams would go back and forth on runs in the first quarter and when the first ten minutes were up the game was tied at 15-15. It wasn't until the second quarter that the Cardinals took charge, putting up their first 20-point effort of the day. They would head into halftime leading 35-30 and looked to continue their momentum into the second half. However, it would end up being Concord who hit their stride, putting up 20 third quarter points and adding 24 to the effort in the fourth quarter. The Cardinals would hold their lead until the final two minutes of the game, and had the ball down three with three seconds to go, but it wasn't meant to be as the Cardinals fell 74-71.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was junior Shamia Strayhorn, who had a bounce back effort putting up 24 points in the contest. She tied her career high with the effort, which she set back on January 24th against Notre Dame College. Strayhorn shot 56.3% (9-16) from the floor and continued her strong work from the free throw line, going 5-8. Strayhorn currently sits just outside the top 10 in scoring in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) this season, averaging 14.0 points per game and her 38.2% mark from the field has her 11th in the conference. As the Cardinals come down the stretch, they will be looking to Strayhorn to be a leader for the offense as they fight for seeding in what has been a jumbled up MEC.
The Cardinals have also had a welcome return to the offense from Kenzie Dalton who, despite not getting into double figures, led the passing and rebounding games with eight and six. Dalton remains one of the top passers in the conference, sitting third in assists/game (3.9) and fifth in assists (86) despite missing three games earlier in the season. Briarley Rogers rounded out the scoring, putting up 13 points. Whole being the team's most efficient shooter at 71.4% (5-7) from the floor. Along with Strayhorn, Rogers is the other Cardinal averaging double digit points per game this season, with 11.6, while also being the team's top three-point shooter at 35.7% this season.
As the final three games of the season come around, the MEC is tighter than ever with the top seven teams being separated by just a three-game margin. After falling to Concord, the Cardinals find themselves holding on to the #5 seed as they continue to battle for a first-round bye for the second year in a row. After the loss on Wednesday, their magic number remains at three as they sit one game ahead of both Glenville State and Concord, who share a tie of the #6 seed. A win on Saturday over Glenville State would put the Cardinals in the driver seat to grab one of the top six spots, however, a loss would have them fighting for a first-round bye up until the final game of the regular season.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Pioneers are meeting for the 38th time in program history, and the second time during the 2023-2024 season on Saturday. Glenville State leads the all-time series, with a record of 28-9, but the Cardinals have fared much better at home with a 5-9 record in 14 meetings. Since the two teams joined the MEC back in 2013, Glenville State has held the advantage at 26-8, with the Cardinals averaging 71.7 points per game against the Pioneers.
In their first meeting of the season, Wheeling would fall on the road against Glenville State 78-58. Shamia Strayhorn would lead the Cardinal's effort in that game, finishing with 17 points while going second on the team with nine rebounds. Graci Fairman was the other Cardinal to hit double figures, finishing with 13, while Rachel Wilson led the defense with 11 rebounds to round out the night.
The Details
Tip-off for Saturday's game is scheduled for 2 PM inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center, with the special 1994 Championship celebration beginning at 1:50 PM. You can watch the ceremony and the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
