Wheeling, W. Va. - After battling through their first eight games of the season, the 2023 Mountain East Conference (MEC) portion of the schedule comes to an end on Saturday. The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (3-5, 1-3) returns home to wrap things up as they host the University of Charleston with tip-off at 4 PM. The Cardinals look to head into the Christmas break non-conference schedule on a high note as they prepare for the run to the MEC Tournament that will kick-off in 2024.
The Cardinals were back out on the road on Wednesday night as they took on West Virginia State in their sixth road game of the 2023 season. After a strong start from the Yellow Jackets that saw them get out to a 13-5 lead, it was back and forth for the rest of the half. Wheeling battled back to within three points with 14:39 to go and the two teams kept jockeying for position through the rest of the half. West Virginia State would head into the locker room with a 53-41 lead. In the second half, the Cardinals found new life and ended up outscoring the Yellow Jackets 48-43 over the final 20 minutes of play. The Cardinals got to within one point of the Yellow Jackets at 81-80 with 5:18 to play, but West Virginia State hit a late run that helped them hold on for the 96-89 victory.
The Cardinals offense had another big performance, going over the 85-point mark for the second straight game, and Marcus Johnson once again led the way. The junior finished with 26 points on the night and added four rebounds and seven assists to lead the way. While Johnson has been known as a high scorer since joining the Cardinals last season, he has added the element of being able to find the open shot to his game. In each of the Cardinal's two highest scoring games, Johnson finished with nine and seven assists. While being the conference's top scorer with an average of 21.3 points per game, Johnson also leads the Cardinals with 33 assists this season, putting him fifth in the MEC. He looks to continue leading the Cardinal's offense as they try and wrap up 2023 MEC play on a high note.
Another Cardinal who has stepped up into his new role as of late is junior guard Sean Ealy. Since taking over as the team's primary point guard after the Notre Dame College game on November 18th, Ealy has averaged 15.0 PPG while shooting 52.2% from the floor. He added a season-high 21-point effort in the game against West Virginia State as he continues to be a leader on offense. Rounding out the offensive attack was sophomore Alex Smith, who scored a career-high 11 points in the loss. Smith has been a regular in the Cardinal's starting lineup this season and ended up being the Cardinal's most efficient shooter on the night, posting a 66.6% mark from the floor.
After their win over West Virginia Wesleyan last Saturday, the Cardinals have climbed the MEC standings, sitting in the eighth spot heading into Saturday's match. However, it won't be an easy end to the schedule as they take on the lone undefeated team in the conference in the University of Charleston. The Golden Eagles were picked #2 in the annual MEC preseason poll, finishing just below West Liberty for the #1 spot. The Golden Eagles are the third highest scoring offense in the MEC, averaging 83.3 points per game, and the Cardinals will look to slow down their offensive attack and pick up some momentum as they head towards non-conference play during the Christmas break.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Golden Eagles will be meeting for the 41st time in program history on Saturday, with Charleston holding the advantage with a record of 21-19. It has been pretty much even no matter where the two teams play, with Wheeling holding an 8-9 record on their home floor against Charleston. However, the Cardinals are looking for their first win over Charleston since February 5th, 2020, when Wheeling pulled out a 71-66 victory in Charleston.
In their most recent meeting, the Cardinals dropped a close contest to Charleston, falling 86-83 in Charleston, West Virginia. Wheeling was led by former Cardinal John Korte, who finished with 26 points and eight rebounds on the night, while Marcus Johnson added 24 points. William Gabbert rounded out the day with 13 points off the bench as the Cardinals dropped a close contest.
The Details
Tip-off for Saturday's game is scheduled for 4 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.
