Wheeling, W. Va. – The Mountain East Conference (MEC) Men's Basketball Tournament kicked off on Friday with the two first-round games. The game came down to the wire, but the Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (10-19, 8-14) were able to hold on to beat Glenville State 78-72. The Pioneers battled back to get within four points of the Cardinals, but Wheeling held on for their first-ever win inside WesBanco Arena.

Early on, it was the Pioneers controlling the game as they scored the first seven points coming out of the gate. Wheeling was looking for an answer and was held off the board for the first three-plus minutes of the game. Jay Gentry got the Cardinals on the board with a jumper and the team took off from there coming back with six straight points of their own to make it a 7-6 score. They tied the game at 8-8 a few minutes later on a Jarett Haines jumper and we were back to even. However, there wasn't much offense in the early going as the teams combined for just 20 points over the first 10 minutes of play. The teams traded two more buckets and the score sat at 12-12 heading into the final 10 minutes of the first half.

The game would move to 14-14, with the teams trading buckets again before Haines hit a big three-pointer that would change the complexion of the game. The Cardinals put together a 16-2 run that stretched nearly four minutes and took the score to 30-14 in favor of the Cardinals. Wheeling spread the ball around throughout the run as Haines, Jordan Reid, John Korte, and Jay Gentry all got involved. With the momentum on their side, Wheeling would run with it on their way to scoring 42 first-half points. The defense played its part, allowing just eight points over the final four minutes and the team's hit the locker room with Wheeling holding a 42-24 advantage. The Cardinals shot just over 50% in the first half and would try and keep that momentum going as the game moved to the second half.

However, as the game moved to the second half, it was Glenville State that came out hot in the second half. The Pioneers hit the first jumper of the half courtesy of John Congleton as the teams battled to a 49-29 score over the first two minutes of the second half. However, as the quarter went on, Glenville State slowly but surely cut into the Pioneer lead. By the first media timeout of the second half, they turned what was a 20-point game into an 11-point affair. They added another 6-2 run and cut the deficit to 51-43 with 14 minutes to play. Reid broke the run with a layup, and Brent Price added another jumper as Wheeling maintained a 62-55 lead heading into the final 10 minutes of play.

The Wheeling lead sat around the seven-point range for a majority of those final 10 minutes as the game came down to its final minutes. With just under three minutes to play, Wheeling held a 72-68 lead in a game that could have still gone either way. A layup by John Williams made it a two-point game and almost helped the Pioneers complete the sweep. With the ball in their hands, Jarett Haines came down and made a big layup that made it 74-70. After another bucket from Glenville, the Cardinals would have to finish the game from the free-throw line. Reid and teammate Jay Gentry would knock down the final four free throws and won the game for Wheeling 78-72.

It was a big night for Jordan Reid and Jarett Haines as they both eclipsed the 20-point mark. Reid led the way with 28 points and shot 11-14 from the floor while being responsible for guarding Glenville's best shooter. Haines followed him up with a 22-point effort of his own while leading the team with three assists. The Cardinals had four players in double figures as John Korte and Jay Gentry each added 11 points in the game. The Cardinals shot 56% from the floor as a team, marking the third straight game where they shot over 50% from the floor. They now get to face the #1 seed in the tournament in a rivalry game against West Liberty as they head to the MEC Quarterfinals.

The Wheeling Men's Basketball team returns to action on Friday, March 4th, when they take on #1 seeded West Liberty with tip-off at 6 PM.