Wheeling, W. Va. - It has been 14 days since the Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (6-13, 5-8) have played a home game. On Saturday, that streak will end when the Cardinals come home to take on Davis & Elkins at 4 PM. After playing three straight games on the road, and five of their last six, Wheeling is looking forward to the chance to play in front of their home crowd while honoring their alumni of the program on Alumni Day.

The Cardinals were involved in a nail bitter their last time out when they battled West Virginia Wesleyan on the road. After holding the lead for the first 13 minutes of the game, the Bobcats battled back and led by 10 as the teams headed into halftime. The Cardinals would have to battle back, and they did just that with 39 second half points, and retook the lead with a minute to go. The game was sealed when senior Jay Gentry and Brent Price went 3-4 from the free throw line over the final minute of the game. 

It was another big performance for senior Jordan Reid, who led the offense with 22 points in the game and tied for the team lead with seven rebounds. Reid has been on an offensive tear as of late, scoring 20 or more points in each of his last three games. He has continued to climb the Wheeling Men's Basketball All-time Scoring list, and now sits 28th all-time with 1,170 points. With the Cardinals being without some of their top scorers as of late, Reid has stepped up to be the guy for Wheeling when they need a big bucket.

Fellow senior Jay Gentry is on the race for his 1,000th point at the end of the season, and started the run with a strong 14 point performance. Entering Saturday's game, Gentry needs 140 points to reach the milestone over the team's final nine games. Price and Andrew Taylor played big on the defensive side of the ball, tying with Reid for the team lead in rebounds with seven apiece. It was an all around team effort in the win as Wheeling looks to get some momentum heading into the final month of the regular season.

With the MEC playoffs just a month away, the Cardinals are making a push to get back to the tournament. As things currently stand, the Cardinals sit all alone in eighth place in the conference, and are a half game behind Alderson Broaddus. If the season ended today, Wheeling would be hosting a first round playoff game with the hopes of getting to WesBanco arena. The Cardinals are looking to continue to climb the MEC standings and be one of the top six teams that earn an automatic bid to WesBanco Arena.

The Matchup

The Cardinals and Senators are meeting for the 24th time in team history, with the Cardinals holding the series advantage at 19-5. However, they have faired even better when the teams play inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center, with Wheeling winning 14 of those 15 games. This will be the second meeting between the two teams in 2021-2022 with the Cardinals taking the first game in Elkins, West Virginia 78-75.

In that game, Jordan Reid had a big day on offense, leading the way with 21 points and finishing the day as one of four Cardinals to finish in double digits on the night. Jarett Haines (16), John Korte (13), and Jay Gentry (11) all had big nights rounding out Wheeling's scoring. They are looking for similar success this time around when they welcome the Senators to their home court.

The Details

Tip-off for Saturday's game is scheduled for 4 PM inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.