Wheeling, W. Va- The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (7-8), (3-5) surrenders an average of 59.0 points per game, making them the best scoring defense in the Mountain East Conference. Though that is commendable, the Cardinals will have one of its toughest challenges tomorrow afternoon when it travels to play against their counterpart, the top scoring offense in the conference, otherwise known as the Glenville State Lady Pioneers.
The Cardinals hosted the Concord Mountain Lions on Wednesday in what would be an off night for Wheeling. The Cards were simply unable to land shots, and the opposition dominated the glass all game long. The Mountain Lions went on two huge runs in the second half that separated themselves from the Cardinals and they could not respond in time, leading to a 66-54 defeat at home.
With just four points in the win over Frostburg State in the game before last, Layla Merriweather turned the heat back on against the Mountain Lions, ending with 17 points and six rebounds. The Delaware, Ohio native had finished with at least 10 or more points in the five previous games before the meeting against the Bobcats. However, it is encouraging to see her pick up where she left off to potentially start a new streak. Merriweather consistently appeared on the scoresheet earlier in the season, but the sophomore has been much more productive in the second half. Generally speaking, she has been more efficient with her shot selection, and it has kept her in the starting five for all but two games this season.
Like Merriweather, Kenzie Dalton finished the contest against Concord with 17 points and six rebounds. It comes to no one's surprise that the senior is the most valuable piece to this young Cardinals team with the way she attacks the rack and the intensity level she plays at. Since December 17th, she has not finished with under 15 points and has been a constant source of offense for this Wheeling team. As a top player in the MEC, she excels with and without the ball, leading the conference with 82 assists and 44 steals while amongst the top five in scoring average (15.9 PPG), field goal percentage (.478), and free throw percentage (.852).
As mentioned earlier, the Cardinals had an off night against the Mountain Lions with the lowest shooting percentage of the season. In spite of that, there were some positives that can be taken away from Wednesday evening's performance, such as forcing Concord to turn the ball over 18 times compared to just six from the Cards. Another statistic to focus on is how they allowed the Mountain Lions to make just one three-pointer all game long on 13 attempts. Since the start of the season, Wheeling has headlined the MEC as the top scoring defense, but they have been the best at limiting three-pointers too. Opponents that play Wheeling have made only 39 three balls on 172 attempts (.227), which means there are only four other teams in all of Division II that shut down deep shots better than the Cardinals can.
After falling to the hands of the Mountain Lions, it moves the Cardinals down to eighth place in the MEC. Even though the top 10 teams make the conference tournament in March, it would be in the best interest for the team to win more in-conference games, so the team has a better chance at surviving the first round. Having said that, the Cardinals are up against a juggernaut tomorrow afternoon and will need all hands-on deck if it wants to pull off the upset.
The Matchup
Glenville State is no stranger to being atop the MEC. The Lady Pioneers have been a consistent championship contender since the conference's inception during the 2012-13 season, and this year is no different. With a record of 12-2 and being 7-1 in-conference play, they sit first, and for good reason. The Lady Pioneers possess the most efficient and deadliest offense in the conference, averaging 87.6 points per game, average the most amount of three-pointers made (8.6), and are a top three team from the field (.433). GSU has three players averaging 10+ points per game, including senior Carnie Pinkney averaging 14.1 points per game while sinking 50% of her shots from the field.
The Lady Pioneers took down the Hilltoppers on the road, 100-89, to pick up its ninth win in a row. Four players ended in double-digit figures as Carnie and Okigbo Nwando ended with 22 each along with Ashlyn Rileyfinishing with 15 points. Riley was named last week's player of the week when she averaged 20.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and shot 63% from behind the arc across the two games the Glenville played against Davis & Elkins and West Virginia Wesleyan.
All-time, Glenville State is 31-10 against Wheeling. The two last met in the MEC tournament when the sixth ranked Lady Pioneers upset the three seeded Cardinals 58-49 on March 6th, 2025. However, the last time the Cardinals traveled to play them, Wheeling was victorious 75-67 on February 22nd, 2025.
The Details
The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team hits the road to take on the Glenville State Lady Pioneers inside the Waco Center in Glenville, W.Va. The game is scheduled for tomorrow, January 17th, 2026, with tip-off at 2pm. The contest will be streamed live on the Mountain East Digital Network HERE and LiveStats can be viewed HERE.
