Institute, W.Va- One game removed from its defensive masterclass against Salem, the Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (5-3), (1-1) took on West Virginia State on the road. Despite a 23-point career night by Emilia Sierra Lacosta, the Yellow Jackets were prepared to defend their home court as they defeated the Cardinals 62-51.
After six consecutive points from the Yellow Jackets following the opening tipoff, the Cardinals were forced to call a timeout to regroup and talk strategy. Lacosta would work her way into the paint, and with her shot coming off the glass, the layup was Wheeling's ticket onto the scoreboard with 7:55 to play in the opening quarter. Each team was presented with opportunities to score, but the defensive pressure from both teams washigh. A steal from Kenzie Dalton was dished to Lacosta as she drained a three-pointer to go down by one, 8-7. The teams hit another streak of excellent defense until Dalton yet again picked the pocket of a defender which resulted in Elena Marin Dawid to score for a brief 9-8 Wheeling lead with 2:31 to play. The advantage did not last long as West Virginia State made a layup about 20 seconds later, and by the end of the quarter, the Yellow Jackets had a lead of 15-9.
Graci Fairman started the second quarter with three made free throws after she drew a shooting foul from behind the arc. Wheeling and State locked horns defensively for another two-minute stretch until it was broken by a deep ball from Layla Merriweather to tie the contest up at 15 with 7:34 left until the half. The teams took turns with the lead after Dalton scored on a steal she forced, and Lacosta tied it at 19 on a hard drive to the paint. The Yellow Jackets pulled off a 6-1 run over the final four and a half minutes to take a 25-20 lead into the dressing room.
Out of the break, the Cardinals scored the opening five points off a turnaround jumper from Fairman, a free throw, and a layup from Emma Reynolds with 6:53 remaining in the third. A quick five points were added by the Yellow Jackets, but Lacosta kept the score in check to make it 30-28. However, State would go on a 7-0 run for about two minutes as they separated themselves from Wheeling on the board by nine at 37-28. The Cardinals and Yellow Jackets took turns sinking layups as the third quarter ended with State still ahead 41-34.
Wheeling was down, but down by seven; there appeared to be some hope to mount a comeback on the road. That was until State opened the final quarter of play with a 6-0 streak to widen the gap to 13. A three pointer from Lacosta helped, but the Yellow Jackets added another six points. Lacosta sunk another shot from distance and drove in for a layup, but State remained on top 57-42 headed into the final media timeout of the night. Two shots from the line by Reynolds and Lacosta's third three-pointer of the quarter landed to make it 59-47. Time dwindled down, and the game ended on another steal-and-score by Dalton for a final score in favor of the Yellow Jackets, 62-51.
Emilia Sierra Lacosta finished with a career-high 23 points while shooting 8-17 from the field and draining 5-9 from range. Emma Reynolds and Layla Merriweather each ended their nights with seven points, while Kenzie Dalton recorded six points and set a season-high of six steals.
The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team will be back in action on Saturday, December 13th, 2025, when they host the University of Charleston at 2pm.
