Wheeling, W.Va- The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (7-7), (3-4) are returning home after taking care of business against the Frostburg State Bobcats. Even though it is early in the season, each Mountain East Conference (MEC) contest is an opportunity for the Cardinals to make up ground and keep climbing the ranks of the standings.
After a tough first quarter, the Cardinals made some progress in the second quarter to set themselves up for a dominating third and fourth quarter. Wheeling went on to score twice as many points as Frostburg in the second half to win in enemy territory 72-63. The win puts an end to a three-game losing streak for the Cardinals and returns them to an overall record of .500.
Kenzie Dalton led the offense with 25 points and recorded her most efficient shooting performance of the season, sinking seven of eight shots from the field, draining both of her three-point attempts, and hitting nine of 10 free throw attempts. Her .497 field goal percentage and .859 free throw percentage on the season places her fifth in the MEC in both categories, proving how big of an offensive threat she is for Wheeling. However, Dalton is just as dangerous without the ball. She has a considerable gap between her and second place in conference assists and steals, averaging 5.7 assists and 2.9 steals per game.
Emma Reynolds was another key factor in breaking the winless streak. Her 17-point game against the Bobcats set a new career-high for the freshman out of Bridgeville, PA. Reynolds has been known to take deep shots despite being labeled as a forward, and against Frostburg, she made three of her seven attempts from behind the arc to set another career-high. Reynolds has been given many opportunities this season to improve her game, and she has made the most of it as she has finished with seven or more points in 10 of the 14 games she has played this season.
Graci Fairman has been heating up recently. Over the past two games, she has put up 28 points, has shot .524 from the field, and .364 from three-point land. She has been a key piece for the Cardinals all season long. She sits fourth in the MEC with an average of 35.7 minutes played per game, meaning that her leadership on and off the court is essential for the Cardinals' success.
The Cardinals were able to snap its losing streak because of how well they shot the ball. The comeback train started in the second quarter as they went practically basket-for-basket with the Bobcats, making 9-12 (75%) from the field. Wheeling followed that performance up in the third quarter by sinking 9-14 (64.2%) from the field. Not only did they shoot the ball well in those quarters, but they took away shooting opportunities from Frostburg by limiting their field goal percentage to 3-8 (37.5%) in the third and just 1-6 (16.6%) in the fourth. Wheeling has remained the best scoring defense in the conference all season long, and it still remains true, only allowing 58.5 points from opponents.
With its win over Frostburg, the Cardinals improved their league record to 3-4, which is good enough for seventh. A win in the next contest is crucial if Wheeling wants to keep pace in the conference.
The Matchup
Concord has had a great season up to this point as they boast a 9-5 record and a 5-2 record in the MEC, which places them fourth in the conference. The Mountain Lions are coming off a convincing 85-64 victory over Davis & Elkins. The most impressive part is that five players ended their nights with double-digit figures, including sophomore guard Kenyah Stubbs, who recorded 17 points. She is second on the team in scoring, which is promising for the Mountain Lions because three of the top five scorers on the team are seniors. Abbie Smith is one of those seniors, and she leads the Mountain Lions with an average of 17.8 per game, which is second in the MEC. Additionally, Smith is second in the conference in field goal percentage (55.2%) and in rebounding average per game (9.9).
Wheeling is 26-14 all-time against Concord with the Cardinals having won the previous two meetings. The last time the two met was on February 19, 2025, when the Cards defeated the Mountain Lions 77-65 at home. Kenzie Dalton and former Cardinal Rachel Wilson each recorded 21 points.
The Details
The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team welcomes the Concord Mountain Lions tomorrow, January 14th, 2025, with tip-off scheduled for 5:30pm. The contest will be streamed live on the Mountain East Digital Network HERE and Live Stats will be made available HERE.
