Wheeling, W. Va. - Coming off the momentum of a big win on Saturday afternoon, the Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (5-11, 4-6) hit the road on Wednesday when they take on Notre Dame College at 7:30 pm. It starts a stretch of three straight games where Wheeling will face some of the top teams in the Mountain East Conference (MEC), as they look to gain some ground with the race for the playoffs officially on.
Even before the opening tip-off on Saturday there was a special moment on the court when senior Jordan Reid was presented with his 1,000-point ball. As the game went on, fellow senior Jarett Haines reached the milestone himself, becoming the 48th member of the Wheeling Men's Basketball 1,000-point club. When all was said and done, the Cardinals pulled off a big win, defeating Frostburg State 97-80, thanks to two 20+ point efforts on the court, and a 52-point second half that sealed the deal.
Leading the way offensively was Haines, who scored a team-high 27 points in the victory. He reached the 1,000-point career milestone with 17:33 to play in the second half, when he made back-to-back jumpers. Haines also led the team with five assists in that game while shooting a team high 52.6% from the floor. Haines has been one of the best players for Wheeling all season long and proved it again in a game where he was scoring and passing the ball effectively.
The other 20+ point scorer was senior Jay Gentry, who finished the night with 21 points while shooting 47% from the floor. The 21 points were a season high for Gentry, who is looking to get hot down the stretch for the Cardinals. Wheeling had five total players finishing in double digits as Jordan Reid (14), John Korte (13), and Andrew Taylor (12) all got into double digits on the night. The 97 points were the most the Cardinals had scored in any game this season as the offense looks to keep rolling.
With a little over a month left to go in the regular season, things are starting to heat up in the crowded MEC standings. Wheeling enters the stretch run in a tie for seventh in the conference standings with Concord at 4-6. This is a big week for the Cardinals as they take on two of the top five teams in the conference in Notre Dame and West Liberty. Head Coach Chris Richardson and his team are focused on taking things one game at a time and seeing how it all plays out at the end of the season.
The Matchup
Wednesday will mark the 19th time the Cardinals and Falcons have matched up all-time with Wheeling holding a 10-8 advantage. When Wheeling has gone on the road, they are an even 4-4 in South Euclid, Ohio, and they average 79 points per game against the Falcons. It will be the second time these two teams have seen each other this season, with Notre Dame taking the first game 71-69 on a last second shot.
Notre Dame took a slight 33-31 lead as the teams broke for the locker room, and that ended up being all the Falcons would need as they went on to match Wheeling's 38 second half points to claim victory. Jarett Haines and Jordan Reid each put up 20 points in that game, while Andrew Taylor (13) and John Korte (10) rounded out the scoring.
The Details
Tip-off for Wednesday's game is scheduled for 7:30 pm in South Euclid, Ohio, and no spectators are allowed at Notre Dame College. However, you can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
