Wheeling, W. Va. – Over the last six games, the Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (5-8, 2-5) has been led by a strong offensive attack. Over their last seven games, the team has scored 90 or more points in four of those contests and have been over the 85-point mark in six of those seven games. On Wednesday, the team tries to keep that offensive momentum going when they hit the road to face Glenville State with tip-off at 7:30 PM.
Last time out, the Cardinals hit the road as their offense nearly eclipsed the 100-point mark when they took on Frostburg State. After falling behind early, the Cardinals were able to battle back, making it a 24-20 game by the 10-minute mark. However, the early deficit did not allow the Cardinals to complete the comeback and they entered halftime trailing 53-46. The offense made some adjustments in the second half, shooting an impressive 58.06% from the floor, and it resulted in them outscoring Frostburg State 53-51 down the stretch. In the end, it wasn't enough as the Cardinals fell 104-99 in the final minutes of play. As a team, the Cardinals were efficient in their shooting throughout the night, shooting 54.4% from the floor but just couldn't hold off the Frostburg State offensive attack.
The Cardinals were led once again by the efforts of Marcus Johnson, who finished with his third double-double of the season. He led the way with 25 points and 10 rebounds, while shooting 57.1% from the floor and 50% from three-point range in the effort. Johnson has totaled 20 or more points in six of the seven games during this offensive stretch and continues to be the conference's top scorer. He is averaging 21.8 PPG this season, and averages 3.8 more PPG than the next closest shooter, Davis & Elkins' Sam Rolle. Johnson has fueled the Cardinal's recent run of offensive success and looks to help his team back in the win column as they open another week.
The team needed a spark off the bench on the defensive end of the floor and they got one from senior Kobe Tigney. Tigney helped limit the Bobcat's offense during the second half and made the most of his opportunities on the offensive end. He set a new season-high with nine points in the effort, and effectively spread the ball around with four assists on the night. Overall, he shot 4-6 from the floor and 1-2 from three-point range to round out a strong effort. William Gabbert rounded out the day with his second highest offensive output of the season, scoring 19 points. Gabbert was 2-3 from three-point range on the night and was the Cardinal's most efficient shooter going 8-12 (66.7%) from the floor on the night.
As they continue the stretch run towards the 2024 MEC Men's Basketball tournament, the Cardinals find themselves sitting 8th in the MEC standings. They currently sit one game behind Fairmont State and 1.5 games behind Glenville State as they race for one of the top six spots in the tournament to earn a first round bye. Both matchups this week give them a chance to take that step, as they battle Glenville State tomorrow before facing 3rd place Concord on Saturday. The offense has been strong for the Cardinals, sitting as the fifth-highest scoring offense in the conference at 84.2 PPG, and the defense looks to step up and match the offensive effort this week.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Pioneers will be meeting for the 40th time in program history on Wednesday night, with Wheeling leading the all-time series at 22-17. However, the home team has had the advantage throughout the all-time series, with Glenville State holding a 12-8 record against Wheeling inside the Waco Center. Glenville State has been the victor in four of the past five matchups between the two teams as Wheeling looks to break a three-game slide.
Last time out, the Cardinals took on Glenville State in the first round of the 2023 MEC Tournament and fell to the Pioneers 96-84. The Cardinals had two different players finish with double doubles on the night and four finish in double figures. Marcus Johnson led the way with 25 points and 10 rebounds, while former Cardinal Brent Price added 20 points and 14 rebounds. Former Cardinal Andrew Taylor added 19 points and Trey Stoffer finished with 10 to round out the day.
The Details
Tip-off for Wednesday night's game is scheduled for 7:30 PM inside the Waco Center on the campus of Glenville State University. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
