Wheeling, W. Va- On a day filled with flowers, cheesy cards, and chocolate covered strawberries, the Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (13-11), (8-8) wanted one thing: a win. With gritty defense and timely shots, the Cardinals overcame the Frostburg State Bobcats by a score of 57-48 to pick up their eight Mountain East Conference (MEC) win, return to .500 in league play, and complete the season series sweep against the Bobcats. Kenzie Dalton balled out again, picking up her third straight double-double, making it her fifth of the season.
The Bobcats struck first, but the Cardinals would feel snake-bitten until about the three-minute mark of the first quarter when Emma Reynolds drove into the paint for a 2-2 score. A couple of free throws from Dalton gave Wheeling a small lead, and then she hit the target from beyond the arc to make it 7-2 Cards with 5:28 remaining. Frostburg was able to work themselves back to even across the next minute and a half. With under a minute left, Dalton stole the ball away and drove down the court to pick up the two points that would separate the schools at the end of the first quarter, 9-7.
Graci Fairman and Amyah Maxwell started the second quarter off loudly with a three-pointer each to make it a 15-11 advantage. Both teams played excellent over the following three minutes, making sure that when the other shot, that it was from a low percentage area. Dalton broke the scoring drought to go up six, 17-11, at the 5:24 mark of the second. Frostburg was able to manage two field goals over a span of 3:19 due to the stingy Wheeling defense, and Dalton's jumper would conclude the first half with her squad in front, 19-15.
The Wheeling offense truly came to life in the second half, specifically the third quarter by outscoring the Bobcats 21-16. Emilia Sierra Lacosta came out of the locker room knowing she was going to show off her range, and that she did with a three-pointer to pull Wheeling ahead 22-15. Elena Marin Dawid posted up for a mid-range jumper. However, the Bobcats started to make up ground on the scoreboard with a 5-0 run in under a minute to go down three, 24-21. With under five and a half left in the third, Lacosta and Reynolds dropped in a pair of points each, and following the media timeout, Dawid and Reyolds each connected from distance to give the Cardinals a sudden 34-25 lead. After the Cardinals had stopped the Bobcats attack, Dalton came up with another steal to give Wheeling their biggest lead of the night to this point, 37-27. The teams traded field goals, but Fairman's late three-pointer with five seconds remaining ended the third quarter as Wheeling was ahead 40-31.
Fairman and Frostburg swapped makes from the field to kick off the final frame of play. Both teams came up empty on their next two possessions, but Fairman eventually dropped in a bucket to make it 44-33 with 5:47 left. A completed three-point play by the Bobcats propelled them to a 6-0 over the next minute and a half to come a little closer, 44-39. Despite that, Fairman was money from downtown, and her shot allowed Wheeling to cook with a 7-0. Dalton's layup that came from the run ended up being the final field goal for the Cardinals as the Bobcats elected to foul for the remainder of the game. Of the 10 free throws attempts that were taken, Brooke Edge made five of eight, and Dawid made one of two free throws. Frostburg would try to make the score respectable; however, the Cardinals had already built a comfortable lead at that point, and Wheeling walked away with a 57-48 win.
Kenzie Dalton had another fantastic showing, finishing with 17 points and 11 rebounds, which marks her third straight game where she has finished with a double-double. Graci Fairman recorded 13 points, Emma Reynolds finished with eight, and Elena Marin Dawid registered six. Emilia Sierra Lacosta and Brooke Edge ended with five points each.
The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team will make the trip to Athens, WV to take on the Concord Mountain Lions on Wednesday, February 18th. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
