Wheeling, W. Va. – After opening the 2025 portion of their schedule on the road, the Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (6-7, 3-3) comes home to the Alma Grace McDonough Center on Saturday. It will be a special day in the gym as the Cardinals welcome back former players for an Alumni Day matchup against Frostburg State with tip-off at 2 PM. The current team looks to put on a show for friends and family of the program, while also trying to get back in the win column as they continue their second half Mountain East Conference (MEC) schedule.
Last time out, the Cardinals hit the road to face Fairmont State as they opened the run to the MEC Tournament. It was a back-and-forth game early on, with the Cardinals keeping the Falcons within two points for the first seven minutes of play. However, a late push at the end of the first quarter was enough to give Fairmont State the lead and they headed into halftime with a 39-32 lead. The Cardinals continued to chip away at the Falcon lead in the third quarter, but a 24-point outburst was enough to put the game out of reach. The Cardinals would respond with their best showing of the night over the final 10 minutes, scoring 20 points and shooting 50% from the floor, but it wasn't enough to complete the comeback as the Cardinals fell 84-68.
For the second game in a row, the Cardinals were led by freshman Emilia Sierra Lacosta, who put up 13 points in the effort. She was the Cardinal's second most efficient shooter on the night, making six of her 10 shots from the floor while adding a career-high six assists in the effort. As the season has gone on, Sierra Lacosta has continued to mature on the court and is currently on her hottest streak of the year. She is averaging 12.5 PPG over her last four games, while shooting 42.9% from the floor during that stretch. For the season, she is averaging 10.4 PPG through 13 games and looks to continue being a key contributor for the offense down the stretch.
The Cardinal's point guard Kenzie Dalton put together one of her best games of the season, scoring 12 points and finishing with six rebounds on the night. While not normally a big scorer, the Cardinals needed points out of their point guard, and she hit double-digits for the third time this season. It was the first double-digit effort for the junior since she put up 11 points against Davis & Elkins back on December 4th. The final Cardinal to hit double figures was Rachel Wilson, who matched Dalton's effort with 12 points of her own. Wilson also led the Cardinals in rebounds for the second straight game, finishing with nine, and added to her strong defensive night with three steals and a block. Wilson and Dalton are the two veteran leaders for the Cardinals this season and look to continue to lead down the stretch.
The Cardinals will continue their tough second half MEC stretch on Saturday taking on the team tied with Fairmont State for second in the MEC standings in Fairmont State. However, they will have the backing of former players in the stands, with the team hosting their alumni day. All alumni are invited to attend, with the team hosting an Alumni Basketball game at 10 AM inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center. It will be the precursor to a special banquet for all alumni, with food and drink being provided on the upper track. The Cardinals will be looking to bounce back for the Cardinal alumni in attendance and continue making a run for one of the top six spots in the conference and a first round bye.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Bobcats are meeting for the 11th time in program history on Saturday afternoon, with Wheeling leading the all-time series at 8-2. However, it has been a much tighter series inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center, with Wheeling holding a 3-2 advantage compared to a 5-0 mark on the road. Defense has played a big factor in the all-time matchup, with Wheeling averaging just 68.8 PPG during that all-time series.
The last meeting between the two teams came on February 17th, 2024, in a game that Frostburg State would win 77-64. Leading the way for the Cardinals was Rachel Wilson, who finished with 14 points and eight rebounds, just missing a double-double. Former Cardinal Briarley Rogers added 14 points of her own in the effort, while Kenzie Dalton led the way with three assists and added six rebounds in the effort.
The Details
Tip-off for Saturday afternoon's game is scheduled for 2 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.
