Box Score Charleston, W. Va. – The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (3-9, 2-4) brought in the New Year by heading on the road when they took on The University of Charleston on Sunday. Despite scoring 50+ points in the second half, it wasn't enough as the Cardinals fell to the Golden Eagles 92-79.

Both offenses were going throughout the night, but it took a while for the Cardinals offense to find their groove. They fell behind 9-2 over the first three minutes of the game, and we're forced to play catch-up right from the get-go. The tides would turn when Andrew Taylor hit a three-pointer at the 17:13 mark. It sent Wheeling on a 7-0 run that evened the score at 9-9 and brought the game back to square one.  This back and forth continued through the first 10 minutes of the game as the Golden Eagles extended their lead to 16-12, before another three-pointer, this time by Jarett Haines, got Wheeling going once again, and freshmen Tre Massey and Zion Suddeth each made buckets to make it a two-point game with ten minutes left in the first half.

The Golden Eagles, went on their biggest run of the game over the next five minutes, going on a 10-0 run that took the score to 26-16 with 4:06 left in the first half. It was enough to keep them in the lead for the remainder of the first half, but it wasn't for a lack of trying by the Cardinals. Wheeling outscored Charleston 11-8 over the final four minutes of the half, and the teams broke for the locker room with the score sitting at 34-27. It was Haines that got the offense going again, scoring eight of his team's 11 points, and scoring 11 of his 19 points during that first half. The Cardinals shot 33.3% from the floor in the first half, and 25% from beyond the arc. Wheeling had shown that they can put together a run, and they were looking to do just that in the second half.

That offense would put together one of their best halves of the season, scoring 52 points as they try to fight their way back into the contest. The deficit stayed nearly the same through the first five minutes of the second half, with the Golden Eagles extending their lead from seven to ten points. Freshman William Gabbert got on the board in the second half with a three-pointer and Taylor and Massey each added a bucket to bring the score to 57-47 with 11:47 to play. However, the Cardinals could not eclipse the 10-point deficit mark as Charleston once again went on a short run and brought the score to 61-47. It would take three more minutes for the score to get back to a 10-point deficit, with the score sitting at 67-57.

The Cardinals made it a nine-point game on an and-one play by Jordan Reid, but that was the closest they would get on the day. The 52-point second half was the highest single-half scoring total for the team this season, but the lead was too much for the Cardinals to overcome as they fell 92-79. They shot much better from the floor in the second half, putting up a 50.0% mark, but the three-pointers weren't falling as Wheeling shot 27.27% in that second half. It is the fourth loss in a row for the Cardinals, but they did get good offensive production from all of their top scorers and had five players finish the afternoon in double figures.

Leading the way was senior Jordan Reid, who put up 20 points, and raised his points per game average to 18.6. Jarett Haines was right behind him with 19 points, as he begins his quest for 1,000 career points. He now needs just 77 points to reach the feat and become the 48^th Cardinals player to reach the mark. Jay Gentry (11), Tre Massey (11), and Andrew Taylor (10) each finished in double digits, rounding out the Cardinals' offense. Taylor led the defensive effort with six rebounds and Reid added five rebounds in the game. The offense showed sparks throughout the game, and the 52-point second-half gave the Cardinals momentum heading into their next game.

The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team returns to action on Wednesday, January 5^th, when they host Glenville State at 7:30 pm inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center.