West Liberty, W. Va. – The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (5-13, 4-8) began the 2022 version of their rivalry with West Liberty on Saturday afternoon. They had a big showing from senior Jordan Reid, but it wasn't enough as they fell to the Hilltoppers 109-85. It was a hard fought second half for the Cardinals, as they scored 44 second half points, but the high-powered West Liberty offense couldn't be stopped.

Senior Jordan Reid had the best game of his season so far, scoring 31 points to lead the offense, and eclipsed the 30 point mark for the first time this season. He shot an impressive 60% from the floor, and went 19-21 at the free throw line.  He was one of just two Cardinals to finish the night in double digits as Andrew Taylor added 14 points in the loss. The defensive effort was led by junior John Korte, who finished the night with 10 rebounds. Wheeling fell behind early in the game, allowing 59 first half points, and it was just too much or a deficit to overcome in the second half of the game.

Early on in the game, the teams were shot for shot with each other, splitting the first 12 points of the contest. Jordan Reid went to the free throw line for the first time just two minutes into the game and nailed both shots, and Taylor added a layup to put the first points up for Wheeling.  The back and forth continued throughout the early portion of the game, with Wheeling taking the advantage 14-11 by going on a jumper by Andrew Taylor at the 12:55 mark of the first half. However, the lead wouldn't stay in the Cardinals favor as the Hilltoppers responded with a 9-0 run that brought the score to 20-14.

As the 10-minute mark came and went, Wheeling continued to battle back bringing the score as close as 28-20 with eight minutes left in the first half. However, the West Liberty offense just kept scoring and increased the lead to 30-20 on the next jumper. The Hilltoppers offense took control of the final eight minutes of play, outscoring Wheeling  29-21 and went into halftime leading 59-41. The Cardinals shot a fool 44% from the field in that first half, and we're looking to create more offensive opportunities as they came out of halftime.

When they moved into the second half, Wheeling started their scoring the same way they had started the first half, with a pair of Jordan Reid free throws. In total, Wheeling matched West Liberty through the first 12 points of the second half, and the deficit sat at 65-47 with 15 minutes left on the clock. Wheeling did manage to up their offensive game in the second half, scoring 45 points. By the 15 minute mark, Wheeling had cut the lead to under 20 points, as Reid continued his strong day. The senior scored 16 of his team high 31 points in the second half of the game, as he led the team throughout the night.

However, West Liberty still managed to put up 50 points in the second half, and Wheeling could never catch up. They fell 109-85 and dropped to 4-8 in conference play. However, over the final few minutes of the second half, head coach Chris Richardson got to empty his bench, and junior Dozie Enyosiobi took advantage of the opportunity. He scored a season high six points during his time and shot an impressive 3-4 from the floor. He took advantage of his opportunity as this group continues to grow and get experience as the season moves on.

The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team is back in action on Wednesday, January 26th, when they hit the road to face West Virginia Wesleyan.