Castelluci scores Season High 12 in Loss to Glenville St.
Wheeling, W. Va. - The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team (2-9, 2-5) opened the 2022 portion of their Mountain East Conference (MEC) schedule on Wednesday night when they hosted Glenville State. They fell on the night 141-55 but got some big contributions from a few of their key scorers this season. After freshman Shamia Strayhornfouled out early in the third quarter, Wheeling turned to their bench for a few big performances.
The biggest performance of the day came courtesy of junior Maura Castellucci, who put up a season-high 12 points on the day coming off the bench. The junior is no stranger to the starting lineup but has been doing most of her work off the bench this season. She put up 12 points, all coming on three-pointers, and shot an impressive 50% from the floor throughout the day. She made the most three-pointers for any player on either team and carried her momentum from the game against Gannon into Wednesday night's contest.
The other two Cardinals to finish in double-digits were junior Lauren Calhounand sophomoreShanley Woods, who finished with 14 and 12 points respectively. Calhoun has been a force to be reckoned with all season for the Cardinals and came into the day third in the MEC averaging 17.2 PPG. She scored doubles again today and secured her fifth double-double of the season. It has been a breakout season for the junior, but she uses the help around her to be successful.
One of those key pieces that help her in the offense is sophomoreShanley Woods, who made three three-pointers on the day and scored 11 points. Woods has been one of the best three-point shooters in the conference and came into today ranking fourth in the MEC with a .409 shooting percentage from beyond the arc. With Woods, Calhoun, and Castellucci all scoring in double-digits, it gives the Cardinals a strong foundation that they can build off for the rest of the season.
Wednesday marked Wheeling's second straight game having to play a ranked opponent after they faced the #2 team in the region before the New Year in Gannon University. They were now tasked with facing the #1 team in the region this time around, and through the first few minutes of the game, competing with the Pioneers. They took a 6-5 lead over the first three minutes of play, but the Pioneer offense just proved to be too much for the young Cardinals to handle.
The Pioneers put up 30 points in the first quarter and put up a 50 spot in the second quarter and held an 80-27 lead at the break. Wheeling was able to score in double digits in every quarter throughout the night, with their highest total coming in the second and third quarters, where they put up 15 points apiece. The Cardinals will look to put this one in the rearview mirror and focus on Concord coming up this Saturday.
The Wheeling University Women's Basketball team is back in action on Saturday, January 8th, when they head on the road to face Concord with tip-off scheduled for 2 PM.