Wheeling, W. Va. – The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (9-18, 8-13) opened up the final week of the Mountain East Conference (MEC) play on Wednesday when they hosted Alderson Broaddus. It came down to the last seconds of the game and Wheeling was able to pull out the 85-82 victory. It was a big night for senior Jordan Reid as he tied his season-high in the win.

Reid busted out for 34 points in the game and shot 13-20 from the floor as he tied his season-best effort. Wheeling had three double-digit scorers in the game with Jarett Haines (18) and Brent Price (17) each reaching double figures. Andrew Taylor led the rebounding effort with four rebounds as Wheeling spread the wealth on the defensive side of the ball. Haines led the group with three assists to round out the night for the Cardinals. As a team, Wheeling shot one of their best marks of the season at 55%, and they were an even better 70% from beyond the arc. All those made shots would come in handy down the stretch with the game on the line.

Wheeling started the Cardinals night from beyond the arc when he hit a three that had Wheeling up 3-0. The teams traded shots early looking to gain advantage and the Battlers would lead 7-6. However, the Cardinals were the first ones to get on a run, scoring five straight points to lead 11-7. The Battlers would tie the game at 11-11 as the clock ticked past the 15-minute mark in the first half, but Wheeling ended up leading by three at the first media timeout. Alderson Broaddus took their first lead of the game on a 6-1 run that made it 21-17at the 11:46 mark. However, Wheeling fought back and brought the game back even at 21-21 at the halfway point of the first half.

The back and forth continued into the final 10 minutes of the first half as the score stayed tied at 24-24. A three-pointer would once again put Alderson Broaddus in front and they would lead 34-32 with five minutes left in the half. Haines nailed a pair of free throws to tie the game at 34-34 and the Cardinals went on to score six straight points to take a 38-34 lead. None of the runs were very long, but they were enough to get them a lead that they would never give up the rest of the half. Alderson Broaddus continued making their shots, but Wheeling did enough to stay ahead and went into halftime leading 42-39. The Cardinals shot 53% from the floor in the first half and that slim lead would prove big down the stretch.

As the second half began, the Battlers were out to show that they weren't backing down from the challenge. They scored the first two buckets of the half and had the lead 46-44 with 17:53 to play. They would extend their lead to 49-44 and had Wheeling on the ropes, but the Cardinals responded. They battled their way back to tie the game at 51-51 with 14 to play. The teams went shot for shot with each other during the next five minutes, but Wheeling would not fall behind again in the game. Reid would tally eight of his 34 points in those five minutes as Wheeling built a 61-55 lead with 10 minutes to play. Alderson Broaddus kept it close, bringing the score to 65-60 with eight minutes to play.

Price and Haines each added buckets to make it a 69-63 Wheeling advantage, and Reid added another jumper to make it 71-63 with five to play. The eight-point lead was the biggest one of the second half for the Cardinals and they looked to nail down the win. A Haines three-pointer made it a ten-point game with under three minutes to go. The Battlers would stay alive totaling 43 second-half points, but Wheeling matched them with 43 points of their own and held on to that three-point lead they had at halftime. Wheeling would hit three of their four free throws in the final minute as Wheeling held on to win 85-82. Glenville State fell today, making it a three-way tie for second in the MEC. The Cardinals are fighting for seeding and it makes Saturday's game even more compelling.

The Wheeling Men's Basketball team returns to action on Saturday, February 26th when they host West Liberty at 4 pm.