Wheeling, W. Va. – Every time that Head Coach Chris Richardson and the Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (6-7, 1-5) take the court, their goal is to do something to make the players who came before them proud. On Saturday, they will get a chance to play in front of those who came before them when they host Frostburg State, with tip-off at 4 PM. The Cardinals will be celebrating alumni day, and look to get back on track in Mountain East Conference (MEC) play on their home floor.
Last time out, the Cardinals would head to Fairmont State to take on one of the top teams in the conference. Early on, the Cardinals showed they can play with the best as they scored the first five points of the game. However, it wouldn't take long for Fairmont State to awaken, as they responded with an 8-0 run to take the lead. The Cardinals would keep the Falcons within arms reach over the first 10 minutes, but as the half went on the Cardinals had trouble getting the ball to fall through the hoop. The Cardinals were held to a 26.92 Field Goal% in the half, and went into the locker room trailing 43-24. The Cardinals were down but not out and they came out in the second half firing, raising that percentage to 47.22%. The Cardinals outscored Fairmont State 54-51 over that final stretch, scoring the most points they have scored in any half all season, but it wasn't enough as they fell 94-78.
Leading the way for the Cardinals would be junior S.J. Hutchinson, who tied for the team lead with 12 points while adding four rebounds in the effort. Hutchinson came through when his team needed him the most, scoring eight of those 12 points during the Cardinal's season-high 54-point second half. Hutchinson has been one of many spark plugs off the bench for Richardson's team, and is having a career year averaging 10.5 PPG. Wednesday's effort marked the first time that Hutchinson has gotten into double figures since he put up 22 points on December 11th against West Virginia State. Hutchinson has scored double figures seven times this season and looks to continue to be a spark plug for the team.
Tying with Hutchinson for the team lead in points was Alex Smith, who finished with 12 points of his own. Smith was the Cardinal's most efficient shooter on the night, making three of the four field goals he attempted while adding three rebounds on the night. For Smith, it continued his strong scoring streak, marking his third double digit effort in the last four games, with Smith averaging 12.5 PPG during that stretch. For the third straight game the Cardinals would turn to their bench and this time Alex Yoakum took full advantage. Yoakum would put up a season-high nine points in the effort, all coming in the final eight minutes. Yoakum would end his night with a coast-to-coast steal as he continues to take advantage of his playing time.
Saturday's game is a special one for the Cardinals as they welcome alumni back to the Alma Grace McDonough Center for their annual Alumni Day game. The Cardinals will be holding a special reception for all alumni in attendance on the upper track of the Alma Grace McDonough Center, where food and drink will be available as the Cardinals battle Frostburg State. The alumni are an important part of the Men's Basketball legacy at Wheeling University, and Richardson is excited to get to welcome all of the former Cardinals home.
"All players who have ever played here from 1956 all the way up to present day are always welcome back and I hope they know that," said Richardson. "Every day that we practice and every day that we play we want to do something that makes them proud and we want people to walk around being proud that they were a Cardinal. Our job is to play hard and try to win the game and do it in a manner that will make those people proud."
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Bobcats are meeting for the 10th time in program history on Saturday afternoon, with Wheeling leading the all-time series at 8-2. Wheeling has been especially good at home in the all-time series, going 5-0 in the Alma Grace McDonough Center compared to a 3-2 mark on the road. The Cardinal offense has led the way in those previous matchups, averaging 86.2 PPG in the first 10 games and have scored 80+ points in each of the last four meetings.
The last meeting between the two teams came on February 17th, 2024, in a game that the Cardinals won 88-62. Former Cardinal Marcus Johnson would lead the way for the Cardinals, scoring 19 points while adding nine rebounds in the effort. Sean Ealy added 19 points of his own in the effort, while Tee Harris jr. finished with a double-double, finishing with 11 points and a team-high 10 rebounds on the night.
The Details
Tip-off for Saturday's game is scheduled for 4 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.
