Wheeling, W.Va- With its first conference win secured, the Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (4-2), (1-0) suits up for a quick road trip to take on the Salem University Tigers. If the Cardinals can play at the same pace as they did against Point Park, then Wheeling should be able to tack another tally in the win column.
The Cardinals started off with the upper hand against the Pioneers on Wednesday with a 23-17 lead at the end of the first quarter. However, things seemed bleak in the second quarter as Point Park silenced the crowd and the bench. They held Wheeling to just four points, and the team wearing green took a 30-27 halftime lead. Although, the real story came after the break when the Cardinals outscored the Pioneers 30-8 on the back of an outstanding shooting performance. The team converted 11 of 15 field goals and made six three pointers to secure its first conference win of the season by a final score of 67-53.
Four of Wheeling's starters finished with double-digit points, including Emila Sierra-Lacosta leading the floor with 19 points. Her performance on Wednesday marked her fifth game with 10 or more points, and her eight field goals mark the most amount she has made in a game this season. Despite only sinking two of seven from deep in her last match, Lacosta ranks first in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) in three-pointers made per game at 14. Additionally, the sophomore has shown improvement defensively in the early part of this season. Last year, she finished with 21 steals and a single block, but this season, she already has nine steals and five blocks.
Kenize Dalton ended the night with 17 points and had the most efficient shot of everyone, making 8 of14 (57.1%) from the field. Dalton continues to show why she is one of the best players in the MEC with every game she plays. She ranks third in scoring average (17.2 points per game), fourth in field goal percentage (50.6%), third in free throw percentage (95.2%), first in assists (36), and third in steals with 17. Furthermore, Dalton's 36 assists put her in a four-way tie for 13th in Division II. She is the definition of an "all-around" player looking to do anything she can to help her team win.
Layla Merriweather stepped into the spotlight with a season-high 14-point performance against the Pioneers. The sophomore has gotten the nod to start in all six games, but no outing had been as successful as this one. Merriweather shot well, nailing five of her eight attempts from the field and draining two of four shots from range. She worked hard down low to record another season high of six rebounds, which are often overlooked. Wheeling had the rebound advantage by only one with the team recording 36 to Point Park's 35, so every board counts.
Despite the offense only averaging 60.2 points per game, Wheeling's game plan is about limiting the amount of points its opposition scores on them. The Cardinals are the best in the conference at this as their opponents only average 54.3 points per game. Teams that hope to resort to the long game will be disappointed to learn that the Cardinals are also the best team in the conference at defending the three-ball, holding teams to an impressive 18.8 percent. It is still very early in the season, but the Cardinals are on the right track, especially after earning their first conference win of the season over the Pioneers.
Into the Tiger Cage
Salem has had a tough start to its season at 1-4. Its only win of the season came against the University of Cincinnati-Clermont on the road when the Tigers came out on top 97-75 on December 1st. The next game, and their most recent, was a loss against West Liberty, 71-50. In that match, junior Meilin Guo recorded her first double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds. However, the Tigers' top scorer is senior Batoul Khaleefah, who averages 11.0 points per game.
Wheeling has a commanding lead in the head-to-head series against Salem, winning 26 of 27 games since 2000. Salem picked up a close 59-54 win back in 2022, but since then, the Cardinals are on a four-game win streak against the Tigers. The two last met on January 22nd of this year, although it was technically last season, when the Cardinals had their way with the Tigers to come out on top 74-47. Lacosta finished with a team-high 15 points and made seven of 11 attempts from the field while former Cardinal Rachel Wilson brought down nine rebounds.
The Details
The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team travels to Salem, W.V to take on the Tigers at 2pm tomorrow. The game will be streamed live on the Mountain East Digital Network HERE. LiveStats can be viewed HERE.
