Frostburg, MD. – The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (5-8, 2-5) hit the road for the first time in 2024 as they made the trip to Frostburg, Maryland. The Cardinal's recent string of offensive success made the trip with them, but it wasn't enough as they fell to the Bobcats 104-99. It was the sixth time in the last seven games that the Cardinals have scored 85 or more points in a game as four different players finished in double figures.
The high octane offensive action began right from the start as Frostburg State hit a three-pointer just 15 seconds in and went on to score the first five points. Marcus Johnson drove into the paint and put in a layup to get the Cardinals started, but Frostburg State would score eight of the first 10 points on the night. Johnson slowly wheeled his team's way back into the matchup with a layup and a three-pointer and at the 16 minute mark the Cardinals cut the lead to 10-7. The Cardinals were able to keep it a three-point affair over the next two minutes, before Frostburg State's Logan Lewis hit a three that made it 17-11 at the 13:41 mark. They would build the lead to 20-12 before Wheeling's Caleb Murray broke the run with a three-pointer.
By the 10 minute media timeout, the Cardinals had cut the deficit to 26-20 as they continued to battle back. As the half went on, the Cardinals made shot after shot, with a three from Sean Ealy and a pair of layups from Tee Harris that would tie the game at 31-31 at the 6:40 mark. The two teams would continue this back and forth through the final media timeout and with 4:24 to go before the half, the game was still tied at 38-38. Frostburg State broke the tie with a three-point play, but Wheeling was looking for their first lead of the half with a free throw from William Gabbert and a Johnson three-pointer to make it 44-42 with 2:34 to go. However, it was Frostburg State that was able to maintain the lead an the team's headed into the halftime break with the Cardinal's trailing 53-46.
The Cardinals were efficient throughout the half, hitting 51.35% of their shots, and they looked to continue that success in the second half. Gabbert would hit the first shot of the half for the Cardinals with a jumper, but Frostburg State just kept on firing as they went on a 5-0 run to extend their lead to 58-49. Kevin Coleman Jr. Would then get involved with a pair of free throws and a dunk and by the first media timeout Frostburg State had a 64-56 advantage. However, the Bobcats would keep it going with another run, this time an 8-0 run as they made it a 72-56 game.
As the 10 minute mark ticked away, the Cardinals continued to fight as Kobe Tigney launched a three-pointer to get things started. The Cardinals would end up outscoring the Bobcats 38-26 over the final 10 minutes, thanks in part to the three-pointer. They would hit four three-pointers in the second half, with one of the bigger ones coming at the 4:34 mark as Gabbert made it a 95-85 game. They cut the lead to single digits at the 2:32 mark with a Tigney layup and Johnson added another layup to make it a 97-92 affair with two minutes to go. Unfortunately, that is as close as they would come with the game coming to it's final score of 104-99.
Marcus Johnson led the way for the Cardinals, picking up his third double-double of the season with 25 points and 10 rebounds. He led the team with three three-pointers, going 50% from beyond the arc, while shooting 57.1% from the floor. Johnson was one of four Cardinals to hit double digits on the night, with William Gabbert (19), Sean Ealy (16), and Kevin Coleman Jr. (11) all hitting the mark. Kobe Tigney would lead the passing game with four assists on the night, while scoring a season-high nine points to round out the Cardinal's offense. As a team, the Cardinals shot 54.4% from the floor and look to continue that efficiency as the stretch run continues.
The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team returns to action on Wednesday, January 17th, when they take on Glenville State at 7:30 PM.
