Wheeling, W. Va. - With the Mountain East Conference (MEC) portion of the 2023 schedule wrapped up, the Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (4-5, 2-3) jumps into the Christmas break with a few non-conference games as they get ready for the push to the MEC Tournament. The non-conference run kicks off on Wednesday, when the team travels to nearby California University of Pennsylvania (CAL-U) with tip-off scheduled for 6 PM. It will be the first of two non-conference games for the team during the Christmas break as they look to build off the momentum of their 2023 MEC finale.
That thriller came on Saturday when the Cardinals played host to The University of Charleston in a series that has been decided by six points or less in each of the last four matchups. Saturday's meeting was no different as the lead changed hands 19 times during the game, with the score being tied 24 times. The largest lead of the night by either team was just six points and, with 23 seconds to go, the Cardinal had a 79-78 lead. A foul brought the Golden Eagles to the free throw line and they took the lead back at 80-79 with 12 seconds to go. The Cardinals had time for one more play and Ealy brought the ball up the court. He sent up a shot with four seconds to go and it bounced off the rim and into the fingertips of Marcus Johnson, who sent it in for the game-winning shot with 2.3 seconds to go as the Cardinals won 81-80.
For his efforts, Johnson earned his second MEC Men's Basketball Player of the Week award of the season as he helped lead the Cardinals to a 1-1 record on the court. Against Charleston, the junior put up 22 points, six rebounds, and one assist while shooting 69.2% from the floor. It was a continuation of the strong season Johnson has put together so far, averaging an MEC best 21.3 points per game across his nine games played this season. He is quickly establishing himself as one of the top scorers in the region, sitting fourth in scoring, while he ranks 23rd in all of NCAA DII in PPG. However, he has also made big contributions both with passing and rebounding. He sits sixth in the conference with 66 rebounds and fifth with 34 assists this season.
The other big effort for the Cardinals came off the bench as sophomore Caleb Murray provided 16 points and four three-pointers in the win. Murray shot 50% (6-12) from the floor on the night, including a 66.6% mark from three-point range. He has come through from three-point range all season long, sitting second on the team with a 39.2% clip from beyond the arc. He sits eighth in the MEC with 20 three-pointers this season and he looks to continue his success from long range on Wednesday. Sean Ealy rounded out the big effort for the Cardinals, putting up 16 points and brought his season scoring average to 12.9 PPG. Ealy has been a big part of the Cardinal's offense as of late, scoring 15 or more points in each of his last three games while averaging 16.75 PPG over his last four games.
After winning just six games a season ago, the Cardinals are already two wins away from that mark as they enter the holiday break. With the win over The University of Charleston, the Cardinals have set themselves up in a good spot for a run at the 2023 MEC Tournament at WesBanco Arena. The Cardinals currently sit in a tie for seventh with Fairmont State and sit 2.5 games behind Charleston for the top spot in the conference. As they prepare for their two non-conference games during the break, the Cardinals look to use these games to prepare them for the tough competition they will have to face the rest of the way. They hit the road to start the break as they take on one of the top teams not only in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) but the Atlantic Region, and then will come back after Christmas to take on Franciscan University at home to end the 2023 portion of their schedule.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Vulcans will be meeting for the 10th time in program history, with CAL-U leading the all-time series with a record of 7-2. When the two teams meet in California, PA., the Vulcans are unbeaten at 4-0 while the Cardinals hold a 2-2 record against the Vulcans at home. It will be just the second meeting between the two teams since the 2009-2010 season, with the most recent meeting coming last season at the Atlantic Regional Crossover event.
That most recent meeting was played on November 11th, 2022, as Wheeling fell to CAL-U 82-73 in what was a back-and-forth game. The Cardinals were led by Marcus Johnson on both sides of the ball, who finished with 28 points and eight rebounds in the effort. He was followed by former Cardinal Brent Price and former Cardinal John Korte, who put up 13 and 10 points respectively in the loss.
The Details
Tip-off for Wednesday night's game is scheduled for 6 PM inside the Convocation Center on the campus of CAL-U. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
