West Liberty, W. Va. – After battling in their 2022-23 season opener, the Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (0-2, 0-0) returned to the court Saturday. The team was once again locked in a battle that came down to the game's final minutes, but they would fall to Shepherd 77-73 to end the weekend. Four different Cardinals scored in double figures on the night as the team passed the ball around, but it wasn't enough to lift them to victory.

The night started out strong for the Cardinals as John Korte got them on the board with three free throws in the game's first minute and a half to get them out to a 3-0 lead. However, Shepherd answered right back with a 9-0 run over the next three minutes to make it 9-3 at the 15 minute mark of the first half. Andrew Taylor would break the Cardinal's funk with a three-pointer and added another one to get the game back to even at 9-8. The same battle ensured over the next 10 points as Shepherd built a 14-11ead and a three-pointer, this time by Brent Price, brought the game back to even. Shepherd would hit another run, this time 8-2 and as the clock ticked past ten minutes, the Rams led Wheeling 22-16. 

Both teams went cold for the next minute and a half before William Gabbert resumed the scoring with a three to bring the score to 22-19. Gabbert was hit from three, hitting another before a Brent Price jumper had the Cardinals back out in front at 24-22 with 6:59 to go before the half. It would end up being a short lived lead for the Cardinals as Shepherd went on yet another run of 9-0 to take a 31-22 lead. The Cardinals would have to play solid defense over the final 2:56 of the half and they did that allowing just five Ram points during that time. Meanwhile, the Cardinals offense battled back with 10 points of  their own, eight of which coming from Taylor and Korte, as they made it a four-point affair. The teams broke for the half with Shepherd leading 38-34 as the Cardinals tried to get that offense going again.

As the second half began, Marcus Johnson hit a pair of free throws And a Brent Price layup had Wheeling right back in the game at 40-39. Five straight Ram's points made it 45-39 and the Rams continued to add on leading 50-42 with 16 minutes to play. Shepherd was able to keep it around a 10 point lead for the next three minutes before Korte hit a layup to make it 53-44. Korte would add a three-point play with a layup and a free throw that made it 53-47 and a jumper by Marcus Johnson made it 55-49 with just over 10 minutes to play. After another Shepherd point, Gabbert hit a layup that sparked a 6-0 run and got the Cardinals to within two points of the Rams at 57-55 with 7:38 left to play.

The teams would go virtually bucket for bucket with each other over the next minute and a half and the score sat at 61-58 Shepherd with just over five to play. A 6-2 Shepherd run widened the gap a little at 67-60 but once again the Cardinals would fight back. Brent Price hut a layup that sparked a 5-0 run and brought the score to 67-65 with 1:53 showing on the clock. Marcus Johnson would tie the game with a layup with 13 seconds showing and the teams would head to overtime. The extra period would start with four straight Shepherd points before a Price dunk made it 71-69. However, a three-pointer followed by a successful free throw would be enough to put the Cardinals away as they fell to Shepherd 77-73 in a tough battle.

Wheeling's offense was clicking throughout the night as they had four players finish in double figures while seven different Cardinals contributed to the win. For the second game in a row, Marcus Johnson led the way with 17 points while shooting 6-14 from the floor. John Korte (16), Brent Price (15), and Andrew Taylor (10) all also finished in double figures on the day helping to lead the Cardinals offense. Korte and Price did the job on the defensive end, each finishing with six rebounds on the day. Price would round out his day by leading the passing game with three assists. The Cardinals played two tough games to start the season and showed that they could fight. They look to bring that intensity into their home opener next week as they prepare for their conference opener.

The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team returns to the court on Tuesday, November 15th, for their home opener when they take on D'Youville with tip-off at 7 PM.