Wheeling, W. Va. – On Saturday, the Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (8-8, 4-3) got back on track with an overtime win against Concord. They look to ride that momentum into non-conference action on Wednesday, when they take the drive down I-79 to Salem, with tip-off at 5:30 PM. As they take a break from the grueling Mountain East Conference (MEC) schedule, the Cardinals will take the opportunity to work on some of the things they need to get better as they continue towards the 2025 MEC Tournament.
The Cardinals made the road trip to Athens, West Virginia on Saturday and had to kick some rust off as they came off the bus. The Cardinals were held to just nine points in the first quarter, shooting 30.77% from the floor, and trailed 15-9 after one. Wheeling battled back as the second quarter started, getting as close at 17-14, but the Mountain Lion's defense held strong, heading into halftime with a 32-20 advantage. After shooting just 25% in the first half, the Cardinals made the necessary halftime adjustments, and came out to their best quarter of the game. They put up 29 points and made 55.56% of their shots and turned a 12-point deficit into a two-point advantage. Concord would battle back in the final quarter and forced overtime with the score sitting at 63-63. Wheeling got on the board early, scoring seven of the first nine points, and it was enough for the Cardinals to hold on for the 75-67 win.
Leading the way for Wheeling was Bryana Henderson, who finished with a team-high 19 points in the effort. Henderson was electric from three-point range, going 2-4 (50%), and was one of the team's most efficient shooters, going 5-11 (45.5%) from the floor. After being held to just four points over her last two games, Saturday served as a bounce-back effort for the graduate student, who got into double digits for the first time in the new calendar year. It was a season-high effort for Henderson, topping his old season-high by three points, when she scored 16 against Thomas More on November 19th. It was the eighth time that Henderson has reached double digits this season, and she looks to continue leading the way for the Cardinals.
Another Cardinal who has been on a hot streak as of late is freshman Layla Merriweather, who set a career-high for the second straight game with 12 points. She would end up being the Cardinal's most efficient shooter on the day, going 5-9 (55.5%) from the floor, and hitting the three that sealed the deal for the Cardinals. She has been in double digits in each of the last two games and looks to continue that success down the stretch. The Cardinals have been led by Kenzie Dalton, who picked up her first double-double of the season. She finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds, while also leading the team with four assists on the day. Dalton has been a tough nosed player for the Cardinals throughout her career and continues to be the team's leader on the court.
As they head into non-conference play, the Cardinals have an opportunity to get going in the right direction heading into the final MEC Tournament run. With six weeks remaining in the regular season, the Cardinals find themselves tied for fourth in the division at 5-4, sharing the spot with Frostburg State, Charleston, and Concord. With 11 games left on the schedule, the Cardinal's magic number to clinch one of the 10 playoff spots is 9, meaning any combination of nine Wheeling wins in conference play or nine Davis & Elkins losses in conference play would clinch the Cardinals their spot. They have their sites set on earning a first-round bye by grabbing one of the top six spots in the conference.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Tigers are meeting for the 27th time in program history, with the Cardinals leading the all-time series at 25-1. The lone Cardinal loss in the series has come on the road, where they are 11-1, while they average 75.88 PPG in the all time series. Wheeling has taken the win in each of the last three matchups between the two teams and look to continue that success on Wednesday.
Their last meeting came earlier this season, on November 23rd, 2024, in a game the Cardinals won 66-49. Kristel Rattasepp led the Cardinals in the game, scoring 12 points while shooting 50% (5-10) from the floor. Mah Minthe added 12 points of her own off the bench, while Kaylee Marvin would put up 10 rebounds to lead the defensive effort.
The Details
Tip-off for Wednesday night's game is scheduled for 5:30 PM inside the T. Edward Davis Gymnasium on the campus of Salem University. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
