Wheeling, W. Va. - The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (1-1, 0-0) has momentum on their side after splitting the weekend at the West Liberty tip-off classic. The Cardinals look to ride that momentum into Wednesday night's home opener as they host Slippery Rock at 7 PM. The Cardinals will look to get over .500 as they continue through their non-conference schedule, preparing for what they are going to face in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) this season.

After falling to Bluefield State on Friday, the Cardinals bounced back on Saturday as they took on West Chester. Through the first 10 minutes of the game, the two teams went back and forth before Wheeling hit a 13-1 run that opened up the scoring. The key to the Cardinal's success was a 62.07 shooting percentage during that first half and they went into the locker room with a 49-23 lead. West Chester would continue to battle in the game's second half, outscoring the Cardinals 45-39 over the final 20 minutes of play. However, the Cardinals continued to put forth hard work on the court and they were able to pull out the 88-68 win.

Leading the way for the Cardinals in the win was Sean Ealy, who finished with 25 points, while shooting 8-11 from the floor. Ealy showed his all-around skills on the court throughout the weekend, going from being a passer in game one to finishing several of those opportunities in the second game. He averaged 15.0 PPG over the weekend and made 45% of his shots from the floor. He was a spark plug early in the game, making both of his three-pointers over the first 10 minutes of play. Ealy was a strong scorer in the second half for the Cardinals last season and looks to be a leader on that side of the ball again for the Cardinals in 2024-2025.

On the defensive side, it was sophomore Tee Harris making his presence felt, leading the way with 7.5 rebounds per game. He picked up his first double digit rebound game of the season against West Chester, finishing with 12 rebounds, while missing a double-double by just two points. In the weekend opener, Harris showed his scoring ability, falling two points shy of his career-high with 19 points against Bluefield State. William Gabbert rounded out the strong weekend for the Cardinals, finishing with 10 points in the win over West Chester. Gabbert was efficient from thefloor, making four of his seven shots, including two three-pointers to help the Cardinals open the scoring in the first half.

As Wheeling continues through their non-conference schedule, they will have plenty of chances to play in front of their home fans. Three of their next four games come inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center, with the lone exception being their conference opener at Point Park on November 26^th. Last season, the Cardinals played well at home, posting a 6-6 record, compared to a 4-9 mark when playing on the road. With several new renovations being done around the McDonough Center, including lighting upgrades, the Cardinals are looking forward to welcoming their fans into their home gym as they look to continue to improve throughout the season.

The Matchup

The Cardinals and the Rock are meeting for the fifth time in program history, with the all-time series tied up at two wins apiece. One of the Cardinal's two wins in the series has come on their home floor, where they are 1-1 against Slippery Rock, while they have averaged 73 PPG in the series. Wheeling has dropped each of the last two games against Slippery Rock, with their last win coming back during the 2016-2017 season.

Their last meeting came on December 13^th, 2022, in a game the Cardinals fell 81-78 inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center. Former Cardinal John Korte led the way with 19 points and five blocks as he contributed on both sides of the floor. Former Cardinal Marcus Johnson added 18 points and nine rebounds on the day, while former Cardinal Brent Price added 12 points in the effort.

The Details

Tip-off for Wednesday night's game is scheduled for 7 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.