Wheeling, W. Va. - The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (1-2, 0-0) opened their home schedule inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center on Wednesday night. They hosted their third Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) opponent of the season as they took on Slippery Rock in non-conference action. After holding the lead at halftime, The Rock made a strong second half push as the Cardinals dropped to 1-2 with an 85-77 loss.
Wheeling would get the night started strong as Tee Harris got them on the board with a layup just 1:24 into the game. It would send the Cardinals on a 9-0 run, that lasted the first three minutes of the game. Sean Ealy would score five of the first nine points before Slippery Rock would break the run. However, Slippery Rock would respond with a run of their own, scoring 11 of the next 14 points and by the first media timeout, the game sat at 12-11 in favor of the Cardinals. S.J. Hutchinson would hit a three-pointer that opened the scoring, but Slippery Rock had an answer, tying the game at 15-15 with 11:56 to go before the half. The Rock would take the lead following the first media timeout on a jumper by Jomo Goings and the back and forth would begin.
After the lead changed hands a few times, Slippery Rock would hit their first big run of the night, scoring nine of the next 11 points and would take a 30-23 lead. Head Coach Chris Richardson would turn to his bench for a spark and they would get it from Elijah Edwards. Edwards checked into the game and immediately hit a three-pointer that got Wheeling going. S.J. Hutchinson would add a three-pointer of his own, starting a 12-2 run that got them back out in front 35-32 with 1:58 left in the half. Wheeling was able to hold onto the advantage as Harris hit a three and Ealy added two free throws before halftime to take a 41-37 lead into the locker room. The Cardinals were efficient throughout the first half, shooting 56% from the floor, including a 46.15% mark from beyond the arc.
However, as they entered the second half, the tides would turn as Slippery Rock found their groove. They went on a 10-3 run that flipped the score, giving the Rock a 47-44 lead with 17:11 to play. William Gabbert would catch fire over the next two minutes, hitting a pair of layups and a three-pointer that sent the Cardinals into halftime with a 51-49 advantage. The two teams battled over the next five minutes, with the lead changing hands seven times during the run. The Cardinals would find another spark off the bench in the form of Caleb Murray. Murray hit a three-pointer at the 13:30 mark and scored the next eight points for the Cardinals. Slippery Rock would hold a slight 64-61 advantage over the Cardinals as they battled over the final 10 minutes.
Slippery Rock would maintain their advantage until a Sean Ealy layup would tie the game at 69-69 with 6:37 to play. Slippery Rock would not give up the lead, scoring four straight points to put them ahead 73-69 with 4:42 to play. Sean Ealy would get Wheeling back to within two with a pair of free throws and a Hutchinson layup would make it a 75-73 game. Slippery Rock pushed it to 78-73 with 2:27 to play and Caleb Murray added a layup that made it 78-75. However, it would be a 5-0 run that sealed the deal and Ealy would score the final points of the night for the Cardinals with a layup as they fell by the final score of 85-77.
Leading the way for the Cardinals for the second straight game was Sean Ealy, who finished with 17 points on the night. It was his second straight double digit performance for the Cardinals, and his efficiency from the charity stripe was present throughout the night, going 8-12 from the free throw line. The Cardinals had two strong performances off the bench, with Caleb Murray (13) and S.J. Hutchinson (10) each reaching double digits. Hutchinson would lead the defense with six rebounds and four assists to round out a strong day. The final double digit scorer for the Cardinals was Tee Harris, who finished with 14 points and four rebounds to round out the day.
The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team returns to action on Saturday, November 23rd, when they host Salem with tip-off at 4 PM.
