The Fairmont State women's basketball team is set to welcome Wheeling to Joe Retton Arena on Wednesday (Feb. 15) for a 5:30 p.m. matchup.
 
Fighting Falcons Facts

• Fairmont State's margin of victory in both contests last week was above 20 points. The Falcons cruised to an 85-59 last time at home versus Notre Dame (Ohio) and defeated Alderson Broaddus in Philippi, 96-74 on Saturday.
• Fairmont State moved up to sixth in the Atlantic region in the latest D2SIDA regional poll released on Feb. 13.
• Fairmont State will play the Cardinals with a record of 18-8. Fairmont State currently is in fifth place and holds a 12-6 record in MEC play.
• Fairmont State has scored an average of 79.8 points per game, which is the sixth-highest scoring average in NCAA Division II and the third-highest in the MEC.
• Fairmont State makes an average of 18.69 free throws per game, which is the top mark in the MEC and the second-highest average in the country. The Fighting Falcons also top the conference in free throw attempts per game (25.96). Katy Darnell and Alyssa DeAngelo both rank in the top 20 of made free throws in the country and have converted a combined 228 free throws this season.
• DeAngelo is Fairmont State's leading scorer, averaging 18.2 points per game, which ranks fourth in the MEC. She has made 146 field goals and 64 three-point baskets, both leading Fairmont State. She scored her 1,000^th career point on Jan. 16^th in the Fairmont State win at Salem. She has made 108 three-point field goals in her three seasons at Fairmont State.
• Darnell has averaged 15.0 points per game, which ranks 13^th in the conference. Darnell is ranked 10th in the MEC with 45 steals and averages 7.9 rebounds per game, which is the sixth-highest average in the league. Darnell leads the Falcons with eight double-doubles and achieved the feat in three consecutive games.
• Jalen Gibbs was the Fighting Falcons' leading scorer in the team's win over Bluefield State on Feb. 6 when she poured in 20 points. It was the second time this season Gibbs reached the 20-point mark. She finished with a season-high 21 points on Jan. 21 at Frostburg State. The junior from Wellington, Ohio is the team's leading rebounder and averages 8.1 boards per game, which is the fifth-highest average in the league.
• Jertaya Hall has averaged 11.3 points per game and has reached double figures in five-straight games. She logged the first double-double of her Fairmont State career on Saturday at Alderson Broaddus with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Her season-high came versus Western Washington on Dec. 18 where she scored 21 points. 
• Madeline Huffman has distributed a team-high 83 assists. The Parkersburg Catholic alumna has made at least one three-point basket in her last 10 games and netted 12 points at AB.
• Madeline's sister, Leslie Huffman, reached double figures for the sixth time in her freshman campaign on Feb. 8 versus NDC. Huffman knocked down a trio of shots beyond the three-point line in the Fairmont State win.
• Aaliyah Brunny, who is averaging 8.9 points per game, set a career-high with 20 points scored on Feb. 1 versus Glenville State. Brunny shot 9-for-12 from the field and drained a pair of three-point shots. She has reached double figures in 10 games, including twice last week versus NDC and AB.
• Graduate student Gracey Lamm has contributed an assist in her last nine games. She led the Falcons with six assists on Nov. 22 at West Virginia Wesleyan and passed a team-high four assists on Feb. 6 versus Bluefield State.
• Head Coach Stephanie Anderson is in her fourth season leading Fairmont State women's basketball. Anderson has won 55 games during her time guiding the program. Before coaching, Anderson led California (Pa.) to three NCAA Tournament appearances as a player.

 
 
Scouting Wheeling
The Cardinals have dropped four-straight games and enter Wednesday's contest following an 81-74 loss versus the No. 1 team in the Atlantic Region, Glenville State. Wheeling holds a 10-8 conference record and is in sixth place in the conference standings.
 
The Cardinals' offensive production starts with senior forward Lauren Calhoun. The Ravenna, Ohio native averages a double-double (18.7 ppg, 11.3 rebounds per game) and is the conference's leading rebounder. Kenzie Dalton has tallied the second-most assists in the league with 108. Shooting guard Shanley Woods has made 36.4% of her shots from three-point range, which is the sixth-highest average in the MEC.
 
Anna Kowalska was named the head coach of Wheeling women's basketball last spring. She was previously the head coach at Life University and WVU Tech.
 
Previous Matchup Versus the Cardinals
These two teams squared off five weeks ago when the Cardinals came out on the winning side of an overtime matchup. The Falcons rallied back to force overtime after trailing 18 points in the third quarter. Wheeling pulled away in overtime and outscored the Falcons 13-2 in the extra period. DeAngelo led Fairmont State with 24 points and Brunny scored 19. The Cardinals outrebounded the Falcons by 20 boards in the first matchup.
 
Up Next
The Fighting Falcons will play their final road contest of the season on Saturday (Feb. 18) at West Liberty. The game from the hilltop will start at 2 p.m.