Wheeling, W. Va. - With the 2022 portion of their Mountain East Conference (MEC) schedule in the books, the Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (1-8, 0-6) now heads into a non-conference slate as they look to come back stronger when conference play resumes in 2023. They begin that non-conference schedule on Tuesday night inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center when they host Slippery Rock with tip-off at 7 PM. The Cardinals have battled in every game they have played in this season and are looking to continue that competitive spirit as the season goes on.

Last time out, the Cardinals wrapped up their 2022 portion of the conference schedule when they took on Charleston and fell 72-70. After falling behind by 18 points early in the game, the Cardinals turned it on in the second half, scoring 42 points in the second half. With 6:23 to play, the Cardinals had battled all the way back to tie the game 63-63 and were looking to take their first lead of the afternoon. They would get it on a John Korte free throw and the lead would change hands three more times on the next three possessions. However, the comeback fell just short as a last second shot from the Cardinals from the bottom of the logo was off the mark and the game ended with Charleston winning 72-70.

One of the key pieces to the Cardinal's comeback effort was senior John Korte, who scored 25 points and was second on the defense with six rebounds. Of those 25 points, 20 of those came in the second half as he accounted for nearly half of his team's points in the second half. He continuously drove to the basket and drew several fouls that brought him to the free throw line nine times in the second half. He took advantage of the opportunity going 7-9 from the charity stripe and completing three three-point plays throughout the half. Korte has been the Cardinal's offensive leader over the last three games, averaging 21.7 points per game in that span and has raised his average for the season to 17.0 points per game.

Brent Price was the next double-digit scorer, finishing with 14 points, while leading the defense on the night with seven rebounds. He would go 5-12 from the floor on the night but took advantage with a 3-3 mark from the charity stripe. For Price, it was his fifth straight game scoring in double figures as he continues to be a veteran leader for the team. Off the bench, S.J. Hutchinson was the final double figure scorer for the Cardinals, putting up 11 points for the team. Hutchinson has been involved in some of the biggest moments for the Cardinals this season and continues to get big game experience during his freshman year.

Over the holiday break, the Cardinals will face-off against three non-conference opponents before the 2023 portion of their MEC schedule starts back up on January 4th against Glenville State. These games will give them an opportunity to work on some things and prepare to be playing their best basketball in January and February. They begin Tuesday night with their game against Slippery Rock before hitting the road to face Ohio Dominican next Monday night. They wrap up the 2022 portion of their schedule on December 30th when they take on Franciscan at home with a 3 PM tip-off. 

The Matchup