Wheeling, W. Va. - The stretch run to the 2024 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Tournament is on as the Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (5-7, 2-4) kicked things off Wednesday. The team will hit the road for the first time in the new calendar year on Saturday when they head to Frostburg State with tip-off at 4 PM. The Cardinals look to get back in the win column as they look to build off their late game momentum from Wednesday night's game.
The Cardinals came out strong against Fairmont State on Wednesday night, battling to a 12-12 score through the first six minutes of play. However, Fairmont State's defense would hit their run, scoring 12 straight points, and using that to head into the locker room with a 44-30 lead. In the second half, the lead grew to as much as 13 points as the Falcons led 63-40 with 10 minutes to play before the Cardinals began to turn it on. It started with an 8-2 run that made it 74-60 and by the one-minute mark the Cardinals had made it an 80-76 game. The Cardinals got to within one point of the Falcons at 82-81 with five seconds to go and the Cardinals drew up one final play with 1.6 seconds to go. Sean Ealy was at the free throw line, and he sent a shot off the glass and the last second layup effort would fall short as Wheeling fell 84-82.
Marcus Johnson led the Cardinals once again with a big effort, leading the way with 21 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists on the night. It was the fourth time in the past five games that Johnson has gone over the 20-point mark and the ninth consecutive game where the junior has scored 17 or more points. On the defensive end, it was Johnson's second double-double of the season and his first since December 2nd against West Virgini Wesleyan. Johnson has continued to be the top scorer in the MEC this season, averaging 21.5 points per game, while leading the team in rebounding with 7.5 REB/G this season.
The Cardinals also got a spark off the bench courtesy of sophomore Caleb Murray, who finished with 17points on the night. He was the Cardinal's most efficient shooter, putting up a 60% (6-10) mark from the floor, and drove into the paint several times on the night. Murray has come off the bench in all but two games for the Cardinals this season and is the team's third leading scorer with 11.5 PPG. Senior Trey Stoffer rounded out the double-digit scorers, putting up his best game since he returned from injury with 11 points. It was one point shy of his season high, which he set both against D'Youville and Shippensburg earlier this season as he continues to be a leader on offense.
Despite the loss, the Cardinal's offense continued its recent string of success, putting up 82 points in the contest. The effort pushes their average to 89.7 points per game in their last six games a they look to keep pace with the rest of the playoff field. Over the next four games, the cardinals will be playing teams that ae sitting right around the middle of the pack vying for playoff positioning. The Cardinals look to put together their best basketball of the season as they try and climb the ladder and prepare for the 2024 MEC Tournament.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Bobcats are meeting for the ninth time in program history on Saturday, with Wheeling leading the all-time series with a record of 7-1. That one loss came in Frostburg, Maryland, where the Cardinals are 3-1 in four previous meetings. Wheeling would sweep the season series last season and won four of the last five games between the two teams dating back to the 2020-2021 season when Frostburg first entered the MEC.
In their most recent meetings, the Cardinals were able to take down Frostburg State 92-81 inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center. Six different Cardinals would hit double figures on the day, with Marcus Johnson leading the way with 16 points and nine rebounds. Former Cardinal Brent Price added 15 points in the effort while Trey Stoffer threw up 14 points of his own in the win.
The Details
Tip-off for Saturday afternoon's game is scheduled for 4 PM inside Bobcat Arena on the campus of Frostburg State University. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
