Wheeling, W. Va. - Despite a tough week last week against two top teams in the conference, the Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (13-11, 9-7) enters Wednesday night's game with a chance to officially punch their ticket to the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Tournament. The Cardinals will welcome in Concord to the Alma Grace McDonough Center Wednesday with tip-off at 5:30 PM and their playoff magic number sitting at one. The Cardinals will officially clinch a playoff berth with a win or a Davis & Elkins loss to West Virginia State, as they can turn their focus on clinching a First-Round Bye.
Last time out, the Cardinals would battle Frostburg State in what was a back and forth game on the road early on. The Cardinals would have the upper hand through the first quarter, leading 16-13, but Fairmont State would punch back with 16 points of their own in the second quarter. The Bobcats would hold a 29-27 advantage heading into the locker room, as the Cardinals looked to continue the back and forth into the second half. However, the Bobcat defense would be the one to hold strong, allowing just nine Cardinal points and extending their lead to 11 by quarter's end. The Cardinals would continue to fight back throughout the final quarter, putting up a game-high 19 points over the final 10 minutes of play, while shooting 43.75% from the floor. In the end, the comeback was too little too late as the Cardinals fell 61-55, dropping to 9-7 in conference play.
It was another big showing for Rachel Wilson, who recorded her third double-double in the last four games to lead the Cardinals. She put up 18 points in the effort, while leading the team with 10 rebounds to complete her eighth double-double of the season. She was efficient from the floor, making 85.7% (6-7) of her shots, while adding an additional 6-8 mark from the free throw line. Efficiency has been the key to Wilson's success during this stretch, where she has gone 17-30 (56.6%) from the floor while averaging 14.75 points per game. Wilson is averaging nearly a double-double per game this season, with 12.0 PPG and 9.4 REB/G and will play a key role for the Cardinals as they finish off the final two weeks of the regular season.
After putting up a career-best day on Wednesday, Kenzie Dalton just kept scoring, putting up 12 points and five rebounds against Frostburg State. However, the junior's biggest contribution would come on the defensive side of the ball, where she finished with five steals in the effort. It was her sixth five-steal effort of the season as she leads the Cardinals with 72 steals this season, for an average of 3.0 steals per game. Kristel Rattasepp was the Cardinal's final double-digit scorer on the day, putting up 11 points in the effort. The freshman sits right behind Wilson, averaging 10.3 PPG this season while holding a 36.2% mark from the floor this season. She has been a strong player for the Cardinals throughout the season and looks to continue scoring into the postseason run.
As they enter tonight with a magic number of 1, the Cardinals are looking to make it official as they punch their ticket to WesBanco Arena. However, as Head Coach Anna Kowalska has stated, getting to the tournament is just the first step in getting to their ultimate goal of competing for an MEC title. The Cardinals are currently locked in a three-way tie for fourth in the conference with Glenville State and their Wednesday night opponent Concord. As it sits right now, the Cardinals would earn one of the top six spots, but they hold just a one-game lead over Charleston, and a loss could drop them down to the #7 seed, forcing them to play a first-round game in the tournament. With four games remaining, two of those coming against teams in contention for a first round bye, the Cardinals look to continue their winning ways to secure their spot in the Quarterfinals.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Mountain Lions are meeting for the 40th time in program history, with Wheeling leading the all-time matchup at 25-14. That advantage is heightened when the Cardinals play at home against Concord, where they are 15-4 compared to an 8-9 mark when traveling to Athens, West Virginia. The teams have split each of their last five meetings, with the home team having the advantage, going 4-1 during that stretch.
The lone outlier was the first meeting between these two teams this season, with Wheeling going on the road for a 75-67 overtime win over Concord. Wheeling was led by Bryana Henderson, who finished with 19 points on the night, while going 5-11 from the floor. The Cardinals would have four other players hit double figures on the night, with Kenzie Dalton (12), Emilia Sierra Lacosta (12), and Layal Merriweather (12) each hitting the mark.
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.
