Wheeling, W. Va. – The 2023 portion of the Wheeling University Men's Basketball team's (2-13, 0-9) schedule is in full swing as the stretch run to the Mountain East Conference (MEC) tournament has begun. The Cardinals look to get in the win column for the first time since the calendar turned on Saturday when they go on the road to face Frostburg State with tip-off at 4 PM. Wheeling has been battling in every game this season but enter Saturday's game still looking for that elusive first conference win. 

 Last time out, the Cardinals battled one of the top offenses in the conference in Fairmont State and put together one of their top offensive performances of the season. They put together their third highest offensive output of the season, but it wasn't enough as they fell to the Falcons 106-85. The first half began strong, with the teams going back and forth, and the Cardinals trailed by just five with five minutes to go. However, the Falcons would go into halftime leading 46-37 and the Cardinals had some work to do in the second half. They came out strong, putting up 48 points, but a 60-point outburst from Fairmont State was enough to end the night as the Cardinals dropped to 0-9 in conference play. 

 Leading that high Cardinals offensive attack was senior John Korte, who set a new career-high with 30 points in the game. He scored 18 points over the first 20 minutes of play and supplemented that with a 12-point effort in the second half to complete the attack. He finished two points higher than his previous career high and shot 62.5% (10-16) from the floor. The effort helped raise his average to 18.0 points per game this season, moving him amongst the top scorers in the conference. Korte sits fifth in points per game this season and eighth in total points (234) as he looks to continue to be a leader for the Cardinals on the court. 

 The Cardinals got another career best day on the floor, this time from freshman Kevin Coleman Jr. Coleman played a career-high 21 minutes on the floor and made the most of his opportunity with a career-best 12 points on the night. He was another efficient shooter for the Cardinals, shooting 6-8 (75%) from the floor, and made the most of his opportunities under the net. As the game was winding down, Head Coach Chris Richardson turned to his bench and freshman Ryan Reasbeck made the most of his opportunity. He scored six of his eight points on the night in the final three minutes of play as he continues to be a spark off the bench for the Cardinals when he has come into games this season. 

 The Cardinals long home stretch is broken up by this weekend's road contest, but there is still a lot of home action to come in the month. After this road trip, the Cardinals are set to play three straight home games on November 18th, 21st, and 25th with big opponents lined up. They will celebrate their annual Alumni night on the 21st, when they take on West Liberty in their first edition of "The Battle for Wheeling." The Cardinals are always looking to defend their home court, and they hope to bring some momentum back with them this weekend as they get set to do just that. 

 The Matchup 

The Cardinals and Bobcats are meeting for the seventh time in program history, with Wheeling leading the all-time series with a record of 5-1. Their lone loss of the series, however, came in Frostburg, Maryland, where the Cardinals are 2-1 across three games. Last season, the two teams split the season series with the home team coming out victorious in each of the two games. 

 In their most recent meeting, Frostburg State got the better of the Cardinals with a 90-72 win in Frostburg, Maryland. Former Cardinal Jarett Haines led the way in that game, putting up 22 points while former Cardinal Jordan Reid added 15 points in the effort. John Korte and Brent Price each played well in the passing game, finishing with a team-best three assists each in the effort. 

 The Details 

 Tip-off for Saturday's game is scheduled for 4 PM inside Bobcat Arena on the campus of Frostburg State University. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.