During their recent run of success, the team has been able to get out to fast starts and they did just that as S.J. Hutchinson hit a big three on the team's first possession. That would start a back-and-forth that lasted the first five minutes of play, with Fairmont State hitting the first media timeout with a 9-8 advantage. During the run, Hutchinson accounted for five of the eight points, with the only other player to score during the run being Marcus Johnson with a three-pointer. Coming out of that media timeout, Fairmont State hit a short 6-2 run that opened things up to a 15-10 Falcon advantage, but a Hutchinson three got the Cardinals back to within two points at 15-13 with 12:40 to play in the half. William Gabbert and Sean Ealy each hit big shots as the Cardinals kept it close and, by the 10-minute media timeout it was a 23-17 Fairmont State lead.
 

As the half rolled on, the Fairmont State offense showed why it has been one of the strongest units in the conference this season, as they extended their lead to 31-21 with 5:57 to go before the break. The only points from Wheeling came on a jumper from Hutchinson, as he brought his first half total to 10 and the Cardinals looked to continue to battle. Kevin Coleman Jr would hit a layup to get his team back on track, and by the final first half media timeout it was a 35-23 Falcon advantage. Fairmont State would just keep scoring throughout the quarter and with 2:54 to play in the half, were staked to a 41-27 lead. After getting up to 43-27, Caleb Murray would stop them dead in their tracks with a jumper that started a 9-0 run for the Cardinals. Murray had a big steal and a big defensive rebound that both turned into points as Wheeling went into the locker room trailing 43-36.
 

The Cardinals shot the ball at a 51.27% clip in the first half and were looking to duplicate some of that effort in the second half. Tee Harris would put up the first points of that second half, but a 9-2 Fairmont State run would create some separation, making it a 52-38 Fairmont State lead with 16:30 to play. Sean Ealy would get the Cardinals back on the board with a jumper and added a big three right before the media timeout to make it a 54-43 game. Johnson would hit a pair of free throws in the next three minutes, but Fairmont State was continuing to build their lead. They got ahead by as much as 65-45 with 13:07 to go, before a big three from Hutchinson would get the Cardinals back on track. As the 10 minute mark ticked away, however, Fairmont State was once again out in front with a 72-53 lead.
 

As the final 10 minutes began to play out, Fairmont State continued to score and, with 6:41 to go, they had upped their lead back to 20 at 80-60. As the final media timeout ticked away, the Cardinals would continue to trail 84-60 and were looking for a spark Johnson would get just that with a layup and Hurchinson would hit a three-pointer at the2:42 mark that made it an 86-65 game. Head Coach Chris Richardson would turn to his depth for the final two minutes as he gained his depth valuable experiemce. Sammy Crist would tack on the final two Cardinal points of the night as they fell by the final score of 89-66. The Cardinals shot the ball just 34.38% from the floor in the second half as they couldn't finish strong on the road.
 

Leading the way for the Cardinals was sophomore S.J. Hutchinson, who totaled 19 points on the night. It was a season-best effort from the sophomore, as he shot a team-best 7-13 from the floor and hit four three-pointers coming at big moments throughout the night. Marcus Johnson was the other Cardinal to hit double figures, finishing with 15 points and a team-best six assists on the night. Leading the defensive effort was Kevin Coleman Jr, who finished with six rebounds. With a big day coming up on Saturday, the Cardinals are looking to bounce back as they continue down the road towards the 2024 MEC Tournament.
 

The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team returns to action on Saturday, February, 17th, when they take on Frostburg State at 4 PM.