Wheeling, W. Va- The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (11-9), (6-6) hosted the West Virginia State Yellow Jackets and were ready to defend their home court. After a closely contested first half, the Cardinals exploded out of the locker room, outscoring State 38-18 to coast to a 61-40 victory, marking their sixth Mountain East Conference win this season. Kenzie Dalton spearheaded the offense by making 9-18 from the field for 23 points and securing seven rebounds, seven steals, and five assists.
Wheeling was issued a technical foul before the opening tipoff due to an issue with the shot clock. However, that would mean little to the Cardinals as Kenzie Dalton went straight to the rack for the opening points of the game. Emma Reynolds backed down a defender for the two more points followed by a WVSU turnover intercepted by Dalton who proceeded down the court for the easy layup. Graci Fairman knocked down a mid-range jumper to make it 8-5 with just under seven minutes to play. After the media timeout, the Yellow Jackets recorded the next five points to take their first lead of the game, but the run was broken after a bucket from Elena Marin Dawid for a 13-10 game with 2:40 remaining in the first. A turnover forced by Dalton turned into a trip to the foul line, and with her sinking both, it was a one-point game. 13-12 Yellow Jackets at the end of the first.
State started the scoring a little over a minute into the second quarter, but three straight points from Lacosta put the Cardinals back in the lead, 16-15 with 7:14 left. The Cardinals displayed some great defense to limit the Yellow Jackets' opportunities despite being unable to capture the defensive rebounds for a couple of possessions. Still, Dalton pounced on the chance for another steal, and the breakaway layup made it 19-17 at the 6:17 mark. State would retake a brief lead following two-point lead, but Wheeling was not down for long. After the final media stoppage of the half, Aluel Tong tied the game at 20 off a layup and Dalton's jumper added two more points. The Yellow Jackets managed a free throw with under two minutes and that would be the final point of the quarter. Wheeling went into the break up 23-22.
Despite State recording the opening four points of the new quarter, Fairman and Lacosta wasted little time to respond, each recording an additional two points. Dalton remained vigilant as always and swiped another ball away from State, and Dawid did the rest as Wheeling remained ahead 29-26 at the 7:15 mark. Both teams recorded three points over the next two and a half minutes, and a three-pointer from Lacosta was on the mark to pull the Cardinals ahead by six, 35-29. The Yellow Jackets were able to make up the three points lost after Lacosta's shot, but they were not prepared for Hillari Baker to nail her shot from beyond the arc, which kicked off a 7-0 run for the Cards to close out the third quarter that saw Amyah Maxwell and Dalton record the other two baskets. Wheeling possessed a 42-33 lead heading into the final frame of play.
Wheeling stayed hot as the fourth quarter began as Dalton was responsible for the first four points for her squad. Dawid received a pass from Dalton in the paint, and her bucket extended the lead to 12. Then, Dalton hit from distance and on a layup at the 5:53 mark to widen the gap to 15, 51-38. State attempted to cut into the lead with two points, but the Cardinals were on fire and would record an 8-0 run to conclude this contest with a 61-40 win over the Yellow Jackets.
Kenzie Dalton led all players on the court with 23 points by making 9-18 (50.0%) of her shots from the field. Additionally, she led the floor with seven steals and five assists. Emilia Sierra Lacosta finished with 15 points, while Emma Reynolds and Graci Fairman each recorded six.
The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team returns to the McDonough Center on Wednesday, February 4th, 2026, when they take on the West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats at 5:30pm.
