Wheeling, W. Va. – Heading into the night, the Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (2-12, 0-8) were looking to get hot as they begin a big home stretch. They got our to a hot start early, but in the end it wasn't enough as they fell to Concord 81-76. Wheeling allowed just 25 points over the first 20 minutes of play, but offense ended up ruling the second half as the Cardinals couldn't finish it out.

It was a back and forth game to open the night, with neither team having any larger than a two-point lead over the first five minutes of play. The Cardinals got big production from their big man over those first five minutes, with Marcus Johnson accounting for his team's first nine points of thr game. His final three-pointer of the stretch began a 5-0 run that gave Wheeling the biggest lead of the night by either team. They led 13-10 heading into the first media timeout and were looking to build off their lead. However, it wouldn't take long for the Mountain Lions to respond, as they put up four straight to make it 14-13 and the back and forth continued. S.J. Hutchinson hit a jumper to get Wheeling back in the lead and they were able to hold that at the 10 minute mark as the Cardinals lee 18-16.

A foul would bring John Korte to the free throw line, and he hit a pair of shots that started a 9-2 Wheeling run. Hutchinson added four more points to his night during the run, and the Cardinals built a 27-18 lead with 6:56 left before the half. Concord added another bucket, but once again the Cardinals were off and running, this time on a 8-0 run that moved their lead to 35-20 with 2:21 left in the half. Concord would score the final five points of the gd with a bucket and a three-pointer, but the Cardinals would be the ones going into the locker room with a 35-25 lead. Throughout the season, the Cardinals have player well in the first half, but they were looking to put it together for a full 40-minute game.

If you liked offense then the second half of this game was for you as the team's combined to score 97 points over the game's final 20 minutes of play. Concord got the scoring started and Korte hit a pair of free throws to even the run. Andrew Taylor added a jumper and another Korte free throw pushed the Cardinal's score to 40 on the night. Trey Stoffer would add a three-pointer to give the Cardinals 43 on the night, but the Mountain Lions began to battle back in the contest. They made it a three-point game at the 14:35 mark of the half and, by the first media timeout it was a 44-42 Wheeling advantage. Concord would take their first advantage since the first half with a 10-0 run and turned it into a 52-44 game. As the 10-minute mark ticked away Concord maintained their advantage, leading 54-47.

The Cardinals would get it back to a four-point game after a free throw by John Korte and a Johnson layup, and Brent Price made it a two-point game hitting a three that made it 55-53 with 8:30 to play. However, Concord struck another 10-4 run that opened up the scoring further and have them a 62-57 advantage. The battle continued throughout the fourth quarter and it was another game that would come down to the wire for the Cardinals. With 1:59 to go, the Cardinals trailed 75-67 before Korte hit two free throws to get them back on offense. Korte hit another layup to make it a 75-71 game with 52 seconds to play. However, the Mountain Lions added four of the next six points and pushed the game out of reach. Wheeling would end up falling 81-76 and dropped to 0-8 in MEC play.

The Cardinals had two different players finish with 20 points in the game, as Marcus Johnson and Brent Price led the way for the offense. Johnson picked up a double-double, his first of the season, leading the defense with 14 rebounds. S.J. Hutchinson was the final double-digit scorer for the Cardinals, as he added 16 points on the night. Price and Trey Stoffer led the passing game with three assists each, rounding out the scoring for the day. The Cardinals fell to 0-8 in MEC play with the loss, but dropped their 10th game of the season by five points or less as they continue to battle. There are still plenty of games left to rebound as they try to claw their way back into the MEC Tournament race.

The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team returns to action on Wednesday, January 11th, when they host Fairmont State with tip-off at 7:30 PM.