Wheeling, W. Va. - As 2023 ended, the Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (5-6, 2-3) rode momentum over their final three games. They went 2-1 in those contests, and even in their loss led one of the region's top teams for most of the game in what was a 94-90 loss. The Cardinals look to keep that momentum going into 2024 as they jump back into Mountain East Conference (MEC) play when they take on Fairmont State on Wednesday with tip-off at 7:30 PM.
The Cardinals ended the 2023 portion of their schedule at home just before the new year when they hosted Franciscan University. The Barrons came out strong early, as the two teams battled to a 24-24 tie over the first 10 minutes of play. However, the Cardinals would gain a slight advantage with a free throw before going on a 9-2 run that had them heading into halftime with a 47-37 lead. The offense has been a strong point for the Cardinals throughout the season, and they continued to work throughout the second half, putting up another 47-point effort. The Cardinals shot an efficient 61.29% from the floor over the final 20 minutes of play and it was enough to carry them to a 94-75 victory to close out the year.
As he has done all season long, Marcus Johnson took the reins for the Cardinals, tying for the team lead with 17 points while leading the defensive effort with seven rebounds. He would put up 11 of those 17 points in the first half, and at the 6:45 mark of the second half was able to reach a career milestone. Johnson drove into the paint before pushing in a layup that helped him reach the 1,000-point mark across his entire collegiate career, spanning both Wheeling and Parkland College. He shot 53.3% from the floor on the day and continues to be the MEC's leading scorer this season, averaging 21.5 PPG. He has gone over the 20-point mark six times this season and looks to get the new year started off strong with the same success.
Tying Johnson for the team lead was fellow junior Sean Ealy, who finished with 17 points and a team-best five assists on the night. Ealy was the Cardinal's most efficient shooter on the afternoon, making 87.5% of his shots, while passing the ball around at an efficient rate. Ealy has thrived as a member of the Cardinal's starting five, averaging 17.5 PPG since his first start of the season back on November 21st. The Cardinal's enter play on Wednesday as the seventh highest scoring team in the conference, averaging 82.1 PPG this season. That average has jumped over the last five games, with the Cardinals averaging 91.2 PPG during that stretch that has seen them go 3-2. The Cardinals offense looks to keep thriving as they head down the stretch run towards the tournament.
As they hit the tournament's stretch run, the Cardinals find themselves right in the middle of the pack, sitting eighth in the conference. They are one game back of Concord and Glenville State from being as high as fourth place and are a half game behind Fairmont State and West Virginia State for as high as sixth place. Entering Wednesday night's match with Fairmont State, the Cardinals have a chance to continue to climb that ladder and position themselves for a deep MEC Tournament run. The Cardinals have shown growth on the court, needing just one more win to match last season's overall win total, and they look to use that experience to their advantage.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Falcons are meeting for the 52nd time in program history on Wednesday night, with Fairmont State leading the all-time series at 35-16. However, the Cardinals have fared better at home in the all-time series, with a record of 9-15 as opposed to a 7-19 record on the road. It has been a high scoring series overall for the Cardinals, averaging 77.12 points per game, and last year's season series exemplified that with the Cardinals averaging 92.5 points per game between the two meetings with Fairmont State.
Their most recent meeting came on February 15th, 2023, when Fairmont State picked up a 109-100 win on their home floor. The Cardinals had three players reach the 20-point mark in the game, with former Cardinal John Korte and Marcus Johnson leading the charge with 22 points each. William Gabbert also had a career-high day against the Falcons, putting up 21 points and going 4-7 from three-point range in the effort.
The Details
Tip-off for Wednesday night's game is scheduled for 7:30 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.
