Salem, W. Va- The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (5-2), (1-0) allowed the fewest number of points since the 2011-12 season when they defensively dominated the Salem Tigers 67-27. The Cardinals recorded a total of 29 points off turnovers, forcing 27 turnovers, and nine steals. The free throw line played a big part in the win as well as the Cardinals nailed 23 of their 28 attempts at the line.
Each team traded points on their first possessions, and Salem would find themselves with a small 4-2 lead three minutes into the game. This would be the first and last time the Tigers held the lead for the rest of the game because whenever Elena Marin Dawid sunk a three-pointer at the 6:30 mark, there was no stopping the Cardinals. Emilia Sierra Lacosta chimed in with two consecutive deep balls of her own, extending the Wheeling lead to 11-4. Graci Fairman tacked on a couple of jumpers to stretch the lead to 15-7 with under three minutes left. The first quarter closed with Wheeling making seven of eight free throws for a comfortable and impressive 26-9 start.
Salem began the second quarter with a layup off the glass, but a steal from Lacosta turned into a Layla Merriweather layup with 8:30 left in the half. Then, it was Fairman's turn to play the role of Swiper as Lacosta finished at the rim for a 30-11 score a minute later. The Cardinals continued to shoot but found themselves on a streak without a field goal for roughly three minutes, but they refused to let that bother them as Fairman and Dawid each nailed jumpers to break the drought. Kenzie Dalton finished the final two minutes of the half with six points coming from two free throws and two field goals to send the Cardinals into the dressing room with a 44-20 advantage.
Despite the large gap on the scoreboard, Wheeling was not totally satisfied yet. An offensive rebound grabbed by Dalton allowed Lacosta to float a shot into the basket with seven minutes left in the third quarter. The Cardinals continued to play aggressive with another steal nabbed by Dalton. The kickout to Fairman from behind the arc landed and it pushed the difference between the two schools to 29. Wheeling played remarkable defense and did a terrific job of frustrating the Salem shooters, holding them to only three points with all of them coming in the form of free throws. The Tigers continued to foul the Cardinals, which allowed them to convert on seven of nine total free throws in a span of four and a half minutes as the third quarter winded down with Wheeling up 59-23.
An assist from Dawid to Lacosta ensured the Cards would strike first in the final quarter of play. Emma Reynolds dished out a pass to Fairman who made good on the jumper as the Cardinals found themselves up by an even 40 at 63-23 with 7:32 left to play. The Wheeling coaching staff made the decision to pull most of its starters about a minute later as both teams were more than confident of what the result would be. Ashley Shroades capped off the Cardinals' dominating performance with two made free throws as Wheeling overcame Salem by a final score of 67-27.
In the deconstruction of the Tigers, Graci Fairman finished with a floor-high of 19 points and cashed in seven of 10 field goal attempts from the bench. Emilia Sierra Lacosta ended just behind Fairman with 18 points. Kenize Dalton recorded 13 points, a game-high eight rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Emma Reynolds registered six points and was a perfect six for six at the free throw line along with Lacosta. Elena Marin Dawidrecorded five points while Layla Merriweather, Aluel Tong, and Ashley Shorades all ended with two points.
The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team prepares for its next contest at West Virginia State University on Wednesday, December 10th, 2025, at 5:30pm.
