WHEELING, W.Va. (Nov. 23) – Led by five players in double-figures, the Wheeling University men's basketball team took down Notre Dame (Ohio) 89-58 Saturday afternoon inside the McDonough Center in both teams Mountain East Conference (MEC) opener.
 
The Cardinals continue their strong start to the season and improve to 3-0 overall, 1-0 in the MEC. Meanwhile, the Falcons drop to 0-1 in league play, 1-4 overall.
 
Junior guard Jordan Reid (Silver Spring, Md./Albert Einstein) filled up the stat sheet with 16 points, six rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and five steals. Sophomore forward Emmanuel Ansong (Bordentown, N.J./Canterbury School) finished with 15 points, six rebounds and six assists. Junior guard Jarett Haines (Bronx, N.Y./New Rochelle) tallied 14 points, while both sophomore guard Nathan Meriwether (Indianapolis, Ind./Emmerich Manual) and senior center Jeremiah April (Phoenix, Ariz./Joy Christian) finished with 12 points apiece.
 
Wheeling established a double-digit lead in the first 10 minutes of the game when Haines drained a trey at the 11:55-mark to make the score 20-8. The Cardinals led by as many as 28, 44-16, when Ansong got out for a transition dunk with 2:32 to play until halftime. Wheeling eventually took a 48-24 lead into the locker rooms.
 
Notre Dame managed to trim its deficit down to 51-31 two minutes into the second half, but Wheeling never allowed the Falcons to make a push. The Cardinals scored 12-unanswered over the next three minutes to establish a 63-31 advantage and led by as many as 35 in the second half on its way to a third-straight win to begin the season.
 
Wheeling shot 33-of-63 (52 percent) from the field, including 10-of-23 (44 percent) from beyond-the-arc. Notre Dame ended the afternoon 22-of-55 (40 percent) and 3-of-11 (27 percent) from three-point range.
 
The Cardinals defensively forced 15 Falcon turnovers and recorded nine steals. They also held a 35-to-31 edge on the glass.
 
Four scored in double-figures for Notre Dame, including Bryce Douglas, who finished with 13 points.
 
The Cardinals will return to the McDonough Center court on Tuesday, November 26 when it hosts Urbana in a MEC game at 7:30 p.m.