Wheeling, W. Va. – The Wheeling University Men's Basketball program was founded on the hard work and dedication of the Cardinals who came before. On Saturday, the Men's Basketball team is set to welcome back some of those distinguished alumni on Saturday when they host West Liberty in "The Battle for Wheeling" with tip-off at 4 PM. It is the first meeting between the two teams this season as the month of January winds down.

The Cardinals are coming off a hard fought battle last time out when they fell to Notre Dame College 85-81. After falling behind early, Wheeling showed that resolve that they have been known for to battle back and make it a one point game with less than five minutes to play in the half. Wheeling got the ball in the half's final seconds and Brent Price put in a layup to put Wheeling up 36-35 at halftime. The back and forth continued well into the second half with neither team holding more than a four point lead through the first 10 minutes of the half. Notre Dame College would go on a short 5-0 run to create separation, but with four seconds left Wheeling once again made it a three point game. However, the Falcons finished things up from the free throw line as the Cardinals dropped to 1-10 in Mountain East Conference (MEC) play.

Over the last two weeks, senior John Korte has been a spark plug for the team and continued his success on Wednesday. He put up 29 points in the contest while grabbing 10 rebounds to account for his fourth double double of the season. He has scored 27 or more points in each of his last three games and is averaging 28.7 points per game during that span. He has also propelled up the conference scoring list, raising his average to 19.3 points per game. He currently sits as the third leading scorer in the MEC this season behind Notre Dame College's Jaedon Willis and West Liberty's Bryce Butler. Korte is also approaching a milestone of his own as the 1,000 point mark is not too far off for the senior uf he can continue his roll through the rest of the season.

The other Cardinal to pick you a double double in the game against Notre Dame College was Brent Price. Price finished the day with 22 points, while leading the defense with 14 rebounds. It was Price's second double double of the season as he continues to be a strong overall player. He currently leads the team with 50 assists while sitting second on the team in rebounds (100) and third in scoring (14.9 PPG). He has been a veteran point guard for the team as he helps set up this young team for success down the line. Marcus Johnson rounded out the double digit performers, finishing with 15 points on the night. Johnson has been consistent player for the Cardinals since transferring in and will be a big presence for the team under the net down the stretch.

With the loss on Wednesday, the Cardinals now sit one game back of West Virginia Wesleyan for the final playoff spot while sitting two games away from getting as high as the #8 seed. Wheeling has been in almost every game they have played this season, with eight of their 14 losses this season coming by five points or less and seven of those eight losses coming in MEC play. The Wheeling offense has averaged a healthy 76.7 points per game this season while allowing just 81.4 points per game for a -4.6 margin. They have been close in games all season long and will look to continue that trend as they try and take down the top team in the MEC so far this season.

The Matchup

The Cardinals and Hilltoppers are meeting for the 64th time in program history with West Liberty holding the all-time record at 42-21. However, when the two teams play in the Alma Grace McDonough Center, the series has been much closer with wheeling going 11-15 in 27 all-time games. The Cardinals are looking to break a 10 game losing streak against West Liberty with their last win coming on February 24th, 2018.

Their final meeting of the 2021-22 regular season came in the MEC quarter-finals in a game that came down to the final minutes. In the end Wheeling fell 88-81 to end their playoff run. Former Cardinal Jarett Haines led the way with 28 points in the game while former Cardinal Jordan Reid added 24 points.

The Details

Tip off for Saturday's game is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center. You can watch the game live by clicking here or follow along with live stats by clicking here.