Wheeling, W. Va. – On Wednesday, the Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (1-2, 0-0) started the first of back-to-back nonconference games when they faced Malone. It was a big day for senior Jarett Haines, who scored a season-high 22 points, but it wasn't enough as Wheeling fell to Malone 90-72.

A Haines jumper got the offense started in the first half as Wheeling went on an 11-7 run over the first five minutes of the game. Senior Jay Gentry added three free throws, and a jumper by Andrew Taylor brought the score to 18-7 with 14 minutes left in the first half. Wheeling continued to hold the lead over the first 10 minutes of the game, and held a 22-16 lead. Graduate student Jordan Reid and senior John Korte led that 22-point charge with six points each, and Wheeling was in good shape with the lead on their side. However, as the first half was coming to a close, the Pioneers began to hit their stride. They would get to within four points of the Cardinals, thanks to a 4-2 run and cut the Cardinals lead to 24-20. The Cardinals were in need for a push, and Haines was able to provide that for them.

He would hit two three-pointers as part of an eight point outbreak, and the Cardinals would push their lead to 30-23. But, Malone continued to fight back, and went on a 12-7 run that brought the score to 37-35 with four minutes left in the first half. Korte and Haines would each hit jumpers before the half was over, but Malone continued to fight their way back into the game. They scored eight points over the final four minutes of the game, including a buzzer beater by Jaret Majestic with three seconds remaining in the half. That brought the score to it's 43-41 mark, and the teams headed into the locker room. Wheeling was shooting strong from the floor throughout the night, and put up a 53.3% mark in that first half and a 43.8% mark from behind the arc. If they could continue that into the second half, they were looking to be in good shape moving forward.

As the second half rolled around, Wheeling kept it close early as a three-pointer by Korte made it 45-44 in the first two minutes of the second half. However, as time continued to tick on Malone continued to add on to their lead, and built a 59-50 mark over the first seven minutes of the half. Wheeling would fight back to bring the score to 60-56 on a jumper by Tre Massey that made it a four point game. They maintained that five-point lead over the next five minutes and the score still sat at a manageable 68-63 with five minutes to play. However, Malone would get the offense going at the end of the game, outscoring the Cardinals 22-7 over those final five minutes, and went on to win the game 90-71. Wheeling shot 34% from the floor in that second half, and just couldn't hit the net enough to overtake the Pioneers.

Haines had a season-high 22 points in the game, beating his previous season high by eight points. He was one of four Cardinals to finish in double digits on the day, as John Korte (16), Jay Gentry (15), and Jordan Reid (13) all finished the day in double-digits. Korte and Haines led the defensive effort with five rebounds each in the game while Korte led Wheeling with two steals. The Cardinals totaled 41 points in the first half, but produced their lowest half total of the season over the final 20 minutes with just 34 points scored. The Cardinals will look for a bounce-back effort tomorrow when they take on a Division I powerhouse. Haines continues to be one of the most consistent Cardinals this season, and looks to continue to lead the offense as they move through the season.

The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team returns to action tomorrow when they face Akron on the road at 5 PM.