Wheeling, W. Va- With their 77-65 win against Concord Wednesday, the Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (14-11), (10-7) has punched their ticket to the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Tournament for the sixth straight season. The Cardinals must keep their eye on the prize and remained dialed in to try and pick up momentum heading into the postseason, and a win against the top offense in the MEC would do the trick.
Wheeling's big win started in the first quarter with a three pointer from Kenzie Dalton to send the Cards on a 10-0 run for the early 18-9 lead. Both teams traded threes to close the first quarter 22-16 in favor of Wheeling. Emilia Sierra Lacosta kicked things off with a long shot to extend her team's lead to nine once more, but the Mountain Lions did not trail for long and they kept answering back throughout the second quarter. A big three by Kristel Rattasepp in the final minute seemed like the last basket of the half, but Concord's Kennedy Scales ended it with another three for a 41-38 Wheeling lead at the half. The Mountain Lions clawed their way back with an 8-4 run to tie things up at 50 with four and a half left in the third quarter. Two free throws from Layla Merriweather immediately after propelled the Cards on a 11-0 run to close out the third quarter up 61-53. The fourth quarter saw Wheeling stretch the contest out of reach with two jump shots from Rattasepp and a dagger by Dalton from deep to conclude the game with Wheeling on top 77-65.
Rachel Wilson and Kenize Dalton played a massive role in the win, each finishing with 21 points and with an 80% or better field goal percentage. Wilson made eight of 10 shots, pulled down nine rebounds, and went five of six from the free throw line. Dalton was eight for nine from the field, a perfect four of four from three-point land, and came down with seven boards. Wilson leads the team in points (274), points per game (12.5), field goal percentage (49.1%), and rebounds (113). In the rebound category, she ranks fourth in the conference and among the top 15 in scoring. For Dalton, she is a lethal passer with 112 assists on the season and averaging 4.5 per game, slotting in at third in the MEC. Her excellent vision on the court works with her timely anticipation, placing second in the conference with 74 steals.
There have been two freshmen for the Cardinals this season that have made an immediate impact on the roster with their contributions: Kristel Rattasepp and Emilia Sierra Lacosta. Both are second and third respectively in scoring on the team (259, 10.4PPG), (234, 9.4PPG). Rattasepp sits only behind Wilson with a 36.3% from the field and Sierra-Lacosta sits atop her team with 37 three-pointers made, equaling out to a 32.2% from deep. The two international sensations have added so much to the Cardinals in just their first year and it will be exciting to watch them develop.
As it stands now, Wheeling is in a three-way tie for third place in the conference with Frostburg and Glenville all having an identical 10-7 MEC record. Tomorrow's tilt will have big implications on seating in the tournament. The Cardinals will battle the number one offense in the conference, scoring roughly 84.2 a game. However, Wheeling is tied with Fairmont as the number one defense, allowing an average of 62.6 points per game. A six-game stretch from January 22nd to February 8th saw the Cardinals limiting their opponents to an average of 48.5 points and winning five of the six games. Wheeling will need to be more defensively sound than ever as they enter the final three games of the season, two of which are on the road.
The Matchup
Glenville State and Wheeling will be meeting for the 40th time in school history tomorrow afternoon, with the Pioneers having the advantage in the series 30-9. The two squared off against each other this season on January 15th inside the McDonough Center. The Pioneers walked away with a 77-65 win. Glenville's Cherry Dream and freshman Nwando Okigbo each finished with 22 points as the team made 42.2% of their shots from the field. Rachel Wilson led the Cardinals with a monster double-double, racking up 20 points and 18 rebounds. Wheeling will be looking for its first win over Glenville State since January 10th, 2017.
The Pioneers took on the Hilltoppers and topped them 108-82. Okigbo secured her 13th double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds and went 10 of 18 from the field. Senior guard Tynaisa Bunting went for 19 points and 10 rebounds against West Liberty. Bunting places seventh in MEC scoring this season with 328 points while averaging just under 15 points a game and maintaining a .443 field goal percentage. Meanwhile, Okigbo has the 11th spot in conference scoring with 317 points and averages 12.7 points per game. She is a dominant force on the glass too, coming down with 266 boards and averages 10.6 a game, which is second in the MEC.
The Details
The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team travels to the Waco Center on the campus of Glenville State on Saturday, February 22nd, 2025. Tipoff is slated for 1 pm. The game will be streamed live on the Mountain East Digital Network HERE and LiveStats can be viewed HERE.
