West Liberty, W. Va. – The 2023-2024 basketball season kicked off on Friday as the Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (0-1, 0-0) made the trip to the West Liberty Classic. The Cardinals had a big second half, forcing overtime in the final seconds, but it wasn't enough as they fell to Seton Hill 97-96 in their season opener. The Cardinals outscored the Griffins 62-59 over the final 25 minutes of play as they battled throughout the day.

Coming out of the locker room, the Cardinals found themselves down 46-35 as they looked to battle back. They were able to cut the Griffin lead to 70-65 following the final media timeout of the second half, and were looking to complete the comeback. The Cardinals maintained that five-points deficit until the 1:59 mark when Marcus Johnson hit a threat that made it a 78-74 game. A minute later, Johnson would hit again from three-point range and it was an 83-80 game. The final minute of regulation featured both teams heading to the foul lines, with the Cardinals going 3-4 while the Griffins hit their lone free throw attempt. However, with 0.2 remaining on the clock, the Cardinals found themselves down two and needing a big play to send the game into overtime.

Senior Trey Stoffer would take the inbound and lobbed the ball in the air towards the net. Sophomore Caleb Murray came charging in from the three-point line and leaped at the block, catching the ball in mid-air. He would slam it down for the dunk as the buzzer went off and the Cardinals tied the game at 85-85. After having so many close games a season ago, the Cardinals looked to come out on top as they headed towards the extra period. Johnson started things with a jumper to put Wheeling in front for the first time since the 12 minute mark of the first half. The lead would change hands three times over the final five minutes of play and with 1:22 left on the clock, Murray would hit a three-pointer that put Wheeling ahead 96-95. However, it would be Seton Hill that finished the drama as a pair of free throws as time expired gave them the 97-96 win.

In the game's early going, the two teams battled back and forth as each team looked for an advantage. After Seton Hill took a 5-2 lead early, William Gabbert would hit a three-pointer that tied the game at 5-5 a minute and a half into the game. It would remain a one to two point game throughout the first five minutes of play and, when it reaches the first media timeout, it was a 12-12 game. The Griffins would take the slight advantage at 16-14, but a Gabbert three pointer got the Cardinals in front for the first time at 17-16 with 12:18 to play in the half. However, the lead was not long lived as Seton Hill scored 14 of the next 18 points as they built a 30-21 advantage after the second media timeout. The Griffins would hold the lead for the rest of the half as the teams went into the locker room with Seton Hill leading 46-33.

The Cardinals were looking to generate more offense in the second half and they would do just that. Kevin Coleman Jr. would start the half with a layup and Johnson and Gabbert would add three-pointers as Wheeling cut the Griffin lead to 46-41. The Cardinals took a 13-6 advantage over the first five minutes off the half as they cut the Griffin lead to 50-46 by the first media timeout. However, Seton Hill would eventually find their groove and was able to get back out in front at 66-56 with 8:47 left to play. The Cardinals would scratch and claw their way back into the game once again, getting to within five points by the final media timeout, setting up the wild finish as the Cardinals fell just short in overtime.

The Cardinals had four double digit scorers on the day, with Marcus Johnson leading the way with 30 points. He was very efficient from the floor throughout the night, shooting 10-18 from the floor, including an impressive 5-8 mark from three-point range. William Gabbert (18), Caleb Murray (18), and Kevin Coleman Jr. (13) each finished in double figures on the day as the Cardinals offense clicked on all cylinders to start the season. Senior Trey Stoffer led the defensive game, finishing with 10 rebounds, while also passing the ball effectively with seven assists to lead the way. Nine different Cardinals got involved in the offense throughout the night as Wheeling looks to keep the momentum going on day two of the WLU Classic.

The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team returns to action on Saturday, November 11th, when they take on Shippensburg at 4 PM. You can watch h the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.