Wheeling, W. Va. – With the 2022 portion of the Mountain East Conference (MEC) schedule behind them, the Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (1-9 0-6) is in the middle of their Holiday break non-conference schedule. On Monday, the team will go on their final road trip of 2022 when they head to Ohio Dominican with tip-off at 5 PM. Wheeling looks to get back in the win column before they hit the seven-day mandatory NCAA DII break for the holiday season.

Last time out, the Cardinals hosted Slippery Rock in the first of these three non-conference games and once again battled to the end in an 81-78 loss. Wheeling came out strong in the first half, scoring seven of the first nine points of the contest in what would be a game of runs. By halftime, the Cardinals were out on top 45-36 and looked to keep their momentum going into the second half. They once again came out strong, scoring five of the first eight points in the second half to extend their lead to 50-39. However, Slippery Rock stayed the course and fought back to tie the game at 63-63 with five minutes to go. Wheeling would be held to just six points over those final five minutes and it ended up costing them as they fell 81-78 to drop to 1-9 on the year.

For the third straight game, it was John Korte leading the way for the Cardinals, finishing with 19 points on the night as he continues to find his shot. He finished the day 6-11 from the field and 2-3 from three-point range as he put together one of his best shooting games of the season. Over his last three games, Korte has shot an impressive 55.2% from the floor as he continues to be one of Wheeling's most consistent shooters. He is on the road to 1,000 career points, sitting 288 away entering play Monday, as he continues to build his confidence on the floor as a leader of this team.

Despite the loss, one thing the Cardinals did really well against Slippery Rock was their ability to spread the ball around. Five Cardinals, including Korte, finished in double figures on the night and the team finished with a season-high 17 assists in the game. Brent Price led the way with six of those assists while Trey Stoffer and Marcus Johnson each added four assists on the night. As a result Johnson (18), Price (12), Andrew Taylor (11), and William Gabbert (10) all finished in double figures. The Cardinals look to continue to pass the ball efficiently and open scoring opportunities for the team down the stretch.

Although their record is not currently where they would like it, the Cardinals have still been playing some good basketball. They have shown an ability to battle back no matter what the score is, and that will be key as they head into the 2023 portion of their schedule. Wheeling is looking to gain some momentum with these final two non-conference games of the year during the holiday break before they come back with their opener against Glenville State on January 4th. Then, the push for the 2023 MEC Basketball Tournament will begin as the Cardinals look to get back to WesBanco Arena as they did last season.

The Matchup

The Cardinals and Panthers will be meeting for just the second time in program history, with Ohio Dominican winning the lone matchup. The two met in Wheeling during last season's holiday break as the Panthers took a 78-73 game from the Cardinals. Wheeling will be making its first trip to Columbus, Ohio, as they look to avenge last seasons loss on the road.

In last year's game, Former Cardinal Jarett Haines led the way with 23 points, but it was former Cardinal Jordan Reid who took the spotlight. Reid scored his 1,000th career point in the game, becoming the 47th Cardinals player to reach the mark in their career. Andrew Taylor and former Cardinal Tre Massey rounded out the scoring with 10 points each in the game.

The Details

Tip-off for Monday's game is scheduled for 5 PM inside the Osborne Center on the campus of Ohio Dominican University. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.