Wheeling, W. Va. - The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (1-4, 0-1) opened their Mountain East Conference (MEC) schedule on Saturday when they fell in a nail biter to Notre Dame College 71-69. With the first conference game under their belt, the Cardinals are set to hit the road on Tuesday when they take on Alderson Broaddus at 7:30 PM.
In their conference opener, the Cardinals and Falcons were neck and neck throughout the afternoon, producing very similar lines in the box score. However, Notre Dame outscored Wheeling 33-31 in the first half, and that would be enough to sink the Cardinals. Wheeling got the ball back in their hands with five-seconds remaining on the clock and a chance to win the game. Senior Jarett Haines was able to move the ball down to the three-point line and put up a shot to try and win the game. Unfortunately, the ball bounced out and the Cardinals were left with a two-point loss.
However, Haines put together his best game of the 2021-22 season so far, scoring 22 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. It was the senior's first double-double of the season, and pushed his season average to 15.7 points per game, putting him second on the team in that category. The man he trails is Jordan Reid, who also scored 20 points against the Falcons and raised his season average to 17.5 points per game. As a unit, the Cardinals are averaging 63.2 points per game this season and are looking to generate more offense as the season goes on.
On the defensive side of the ball, Wheeling has been one of the better units in the conference, allowing 79.2 points per game, good for fourth in the MEC. They also lead the MEC with 186 rebounds this season, led by a trio of players. Andrew Taylor leads Wheeling with 35 rebounds while John Korte and Haines sit right behind him with 25 rebounds each. Haines and Taylor own the two double-doubles for the Cardinals this season.
As conference play begins, Wheeling is looking to turn things around after dropping their conference opener. Over their next four games they will face all conference opponents before ending the 2021 portion of their schedule with two final non-conference games. Last season, Wheeling dropped its first four conference games before picking up their first conference win against West Virginia Wesleyan. This season, they are hoping for a hotter start as they try to battle back to the MEC Tournament.
The Match-up
Alderson Broaddus and Wheeling have been matching up since the 2000 season, spanning 24 total match-ups. It has been a tight rivalry, with Wheeling going 11-13 over those games, averaging 76.58 points per game. However, when the match-up is in Philippi, West Virginia, it is Wheeling that has had the advantage, going 6-5 and winning each of the last two road games.
The last time these two teams faced, Wheeling came out on top with a 97-91 win as they held off a Battlers come from behind effort. Haines had a big game in that match-up, scoring 34 points while grabbing five rebounds and five assists. He was one of four Cardinals who were in double digits, and two who scored 20+ points. Jordan Reid scored 22 points in the game as part of the near 100-point effort for the Cardinals.
The Details
Tip-off for Tuesday's game is scheduled for 7:30 PM in Philippi, West Virginia. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
