Frostburg, M.D- In sports, teams go through many highs and lows, but what makes it so worth it is that when those moments arise, teams go through it together and it brings them closer. The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (7-7), (3-4), made the trip to Frostburg State to take on the Bobcats after losing their previous three contests. The game may not have started in their favor, but the Cardinals came together as a team to outscore the Bobcats by 20 in the second half to put an end to its three-game skid. Senior guard Kenzie Dalton used her leadership and skills to headline the Wheeling offense with 25 points and six assists while freshman forward Emma Reynolds set a new career-high of 17 points in the 72-63 win over Frostburg to mark their third victory over a Mountain East Conference (MEC) opponent. 

Wheeling would win the opening tipoff, and Emilia Sierra Lacosta got the first points of the game with a mid-range jumper. A live ball turnover allowed Frostburg to answer back relatively quickly and after each team turned the ball over once, Dalton gave the Cardinals a 4-2 lead with 6:38 remaining in the first quarter off a lay in. The Bobcats drew a shooting foul and were able to tie the game up at four, and while this may seem like a minor detail, it resulted in Frostburg controlling the pace of play for the remainder of the quarter. The Bobcats' 15-4 run across the 4:20 left in the opening quarter gave them a 17-8 lead to begin quarter number two. 

The second quarter was much more productive for the Cardinals, scoring 24 points compared to the eight they put up previously. Reynolds helped chip into the lead with a three-pointer from Dalton to make it 18-11, but the Bobcats answered with a long ball of their own. Lacosta made a shot from inside the arc, but again, the Bobcats responded to make it 23-13 with 7:26 left in the second quarter. This time, Dalton drove inside the paint for a shot off the box to answer the Bobcats' layup that had gone in before hers. Elena Marin Dawid and Graci Fairman each drained back-to-back three-pointers to cut the deficit to nine, 30-21 with five minutes left. It was a back-and-forth battle following the final media timeout of the half as each team seemed to not be able to miss. 23 combined points brought it to halftime, and for the Cardinals, Fairman came away with a jumper, and a three-pointer and Dalton ended the half with two consecutive shots from downtown for a 43-32 Bobcats lead headed into the break. 

The Cardinals came out of the locker rooms eager to get back into this game. Merriweather's layup 18 seconds into the third quarter sparked four and a half minutes of dominant Cardinal basketball with a 13-2 run. Dalton's five points followed by Lacosta's four, along with Merriweather's and Reynolds' two tied the contest up at 45 with 5:27 left in the third. Dalton made good on her free throw attempts, and a steal from Fairman gave Reynolds the opportunity to take the lead over the Bobcats for the first time since the beginning of the match with a layup, 49-47. Two sets of free throws from each side, and a Frostburg jumper tied it at 51, and the Bobcats called a brief timeout right after. The final two and a half minutes of the third were filled with steals and free throws, but the Bobcats still remained ahead 56-55 as the final quarter was still to be played. 

Wheeling lived up to the title of "best scoring defense in the MEC" by only allowing Frostburg to score seven points in the final frame of play. Reynolds took the lead with a long ball to open the fourth, making it 58-56. The Bobcats looked to tie it up with a layup, but Dawid came up huge with a block, and the Bobcats had to settle with free throws to knot the game up at 58. Lacosta found Reynolds open behind the arc, and she knocked down another three-pointer to take back the lead, but Frostburg responded with a three-pointer of their own to make it 61 a side with under eight minutes left. The next time Frostburg saw any points added to their side of the board would be with 50 seconds remaining in the game because Wheeling took advantage of its opportunities and converted when it mattered in the form of an 11-0 run across five and a half minutes. Reynolds opened the run at the charity stripe to give the Cardinals a 63-61 lead. Dalton followed her up with three made shots at the line and would make a layup after that for a 68-61 advantage. Then, Dawid caused a turnover, secured an offensive rebound, kicked it out to Dalton who fed it over to Fairman, and she added three to the lead for a 10-point differential. After the final media timeout of the contest, Wheeling played smart defense to prevent Frostburg from coming back. The clock hit zero, and the Cardinals had snapped a three-game losing streak by defeating Frostburg on the road 72-63. 

The big win was led by the play of Kenzie Dalton, who led the floor with 25 points and six assists. Dalton was efficient in her shot selection too, shooting 7-8 from the field, 2-2 from deep, and 9-10 from the free throw line. Emma Reynolds set a new career-high with 17 points while landing 6-13 from the field and 3-7 from three-point land. Graci Fairman recorded 15 points and landed three of her five attempts from downtown. Emilia Sierra Lacosta finished with eight points, Layla Merriweather finished with four points, and Elena Marin Dawid ended her afternoon with three points and a team-high six rebounds.  

The Wheeling University Women's basketball team returns to Alma Grace McDonough Center to host the Concord Mountain Lions on Wednesday, January 14th, 2025, at 5:30pm.