Wheeling, W. Va. – When the Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (7-7, 4-3) took the floor against Frostburg State on Saturday, they put together one of their best games of the season. The team looks to ride that momentum into a new week as they get set to host Glenville State on Wednesday, with tip-off at 5:30 PM. The Cardinals are looking to get on a hot streak as they chase down a first round bye in the 2025 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Tournament.
Saturday saw the Cardinals welcome in the Bobcats, and the offense was electric right from the start. Wheeling would score 23 of the first 29 points of the game over the first 10 minutes, shooting 52.94% from the floor. On the flip side, the defense was able to hold the Bobcats to single digits and just a 14.29% mark from the floor, as the Cardinals led 23-6 heading into the second quarter. That Cardinal defense continued to hold strong through the second quarter, keeping Frostburg to eight points through the first five minutes and went into halftime leading 39-20. As the teams came out of the halftime break, the Bobcats made a push to overtake the Cardinals, outscoring Wheeling 32-28 down the stretch. However, the Cardinal's efficient shooting in the fourth quarter, going 7-16 (43.75%) from the floor, was enough to secure the victory and put the Cardinals back over .500 in conference play.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was a career-best effort for redshirt sophomore Rachel Wilson, who put up a career-high 22 points while grabbing a career-best 16 rebounds. Wilson was a force under the net all day long, and finished as the Cardinal's most efficient shooter, going 8-13 (61.5%) from the floor. She made her biggest push during the second quarter, scoring eight of her 22 points over the ten-minute stretch, as she helped the Cardinals maintain their lead. It was Wilson's fourth double-double of the season, and second in the last three games, and since the Calendar has turned to 2025, Wilson has averaged 17 PPG over two games. She looks to continue to lead the Cardinals down the stretch on their quest for a first round bye.
The other Cardinal to hit double figures on the day was Emilia Sierra Lacosta, who put up 12 points and added six rebounds in the effort. Sierra Lacosta hit double digits for the third game in a row, and fourth time in the last five games, averaging 12.4 PPG during that stretch. She finished one rebound shy of her career-high and is one of three Cardinals to be averaging double digit points this season. Rounding out the big day was Hillari Baker, who after coming off the bench against Fairmont State Wednesday, made her presence felt on the court. She led the team going 3-5 from three-point range and added a career-high nine points in the effort. She has seen an increase in minutes as the new year began, and looks to continue taking advantage of those opportunities.
After playing on the road for a majority of the season so far, the Cardinals hit one of their biggest home stretches of the season over the next two and a half weeks. The Cardinals will play three of their next five games on their home floor, with two of those five games coming against teams either above them or tied with them in the standings. The Cardinals have played well in their early season home opportunities, going 4-1 in five home matchups while averaging 65.4 PPG. With 14 games remaining on the 2024-2025 schedule, the Cardinals will look to take advantage of all of their home opportunities as they battle for an MEC Championship.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Pioneers will be meeting for the 39th time in program history on Wednesday night, with Glenville State leading the all-time series at 29-9. Five of those nine Cardinal wins have come at home, where they are 5-10 compared to a 3-16 mark on the road. Wheeling is averaging just over 72 PPG in the series, but are looking to break a 15-game losing streak at the hands of the Pioneers, dating back to the 2016-2017 season.
The two teams last met on February 24th, 2024, in a game that Glenville State would win 97-90 inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center. Former Cardinal Shamia Strayhorn would lead the way, scoring 21 points and tying for the team lead with nine rebounds. Former Cardinal Briarley Rogers would finish behind her with 18 points and nine rebounds, while former Cardinal Kadie Colebank added 16 points to round out 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.
