Wheeling, W. Va. - The turkey and stuffing have been eaten and it's time for the Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (2-3, 0-1) to return to the court for the final stretch before the winter break. They look to carry their momentum from a pre-Thanksgiving break win into Wednesday night's matchup as they host Davis & Elkins with tip-off at 7:30 PM. With four conference games ahead of them before the Christmas break, the Cardinals look to position themselves for a strong run towards the 2023 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Tournament.
Before the Thanksgiving break, the Cardinals welcomed in Salem for the first of two non-conference meetings between the two teams this season. The Cardinals got out to a hot start, scoring the game's first seven points, but Salem would battle back with seven straight of their own. From there, it was back and forth throughout the first half as the lead changed hands five times throughout the first half. In the end, a Tiger three-pointer had Salem up 35-34 heading into the break, with Wheeling looking to rebound. It would be a strong defensive effort in the second half by the Cardinals that would make the difference as they allowed just 27 points in the second half. The offense stayed strong, putting up 41 in the half and the Cardinals were able to seal the 75-62 win.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was the reigning MEC Men's Basketball Player of the Week, junior Marcus Johnson. Johnson eclipsed the 20-point mark for the third time this season, putting up 25 points and shooting 46.1% from the floor. Johnson wasn't just scoring the ball for the Cardinals, but played well in every facet with eight rebounds, five assists, four steals, and three blocks in the game. Johnson was crucial to the Cardinal's second half defensive effort, with three of his four steals in the half resulting in a scoop and score. He enters Wednesday night's game as the conference's leading scorer, averaging 21.4 points per game, and looks to continue to lead the Cardinals down the stretch.
While no one else finished in double figures on the day, the Cardinals continued to spread the ball around, with 10 different players getting on the board. Sean Ealy continued his recent string of success, playing 34 minutes and putting up nine points in the winning effort. Ealy has stepped in due to injury, and made the most of his opportunities, averaging 13 PPG over his last two games. He put up a career-best 17 points in the first conference game against Notre Dame College and looks to continue that success on Wednesday. Sophomore Caleb Murray also played big, with eight points on the night including a 1-2 mark from the free throw line. Murray is averaging 8.6 PPG this season off the bench and has come through with clutch shots throughout the year.
With each team having one or two conference games under their belts, it is a tight race early on in the MEC Men's Basketball standings. West Liberty stands as the only undefeated team on the ledger, sitting at 5-0 overall and 1-0 in conference play, while Charleston, Concord, and Fairmont State each sit behind them with one loss each overall. In the conference race, West Liberty won their first MEC contest while Charleston and Davis & Elkins rattled off a pair of conference wins at 2-0. The Cardinals sit just 1.5 games behind the conference leaders entering Wednesday and their first half conference schedule will be challenging, with two of their next four opponents currently sitting in a top three spot.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Senators will be meeting for the 28th time in program history on Wednesday night, with Wheeling leading the all-time series at 20-7. While the road matchup has been even when the teams meet in Wheeling, the Cardinals hold a 15-2 advantage over the Senators. Wheeling looks to bounce back after dropping each of the last two games against the Senators as Davis & Elkins swept the season series a year ago.
In their most recent matchup, Davis & Elkins would win a back-and-forth game, taking a 90-81 victory in Elkins, West Virginia. The Cardinals were led in that game by a double-double effort from Marcus Johnson, who finished with 23points and 10 rebounds. Caleb Murray added a career-best 18 points off the bench while former Cardinal Brent Price rounded out the scoring with 12 points and nine rebounds on the day.
The Details
Tip-off for Wednesday night's game is scheduled for 7:30 PM inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
