Wheeling, W. Va. - As we reach the middle of January, Head Coach Chris Richardson is looking for his team to play their best basketball over the next six weeks. The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (6-9, 1-7) looks to hit that hot streak this weekend as they hit the road to face Concord at 4 PM. The Cardinals are looking to shake a three-game losing streak to start the conference portion of their 2025 schedule as they try to climb the ladder in the conference.
Last time out, the Cardinals welcomed Glenville State into the Alma Grace McDonough Center, looking to slow down what had been a hot offensive team. Early on, the Cardinals came out firing, scoring seven of the first nine points, and holding a 15-6 lead at the first media timeout. However, after scoring 15 points over the first five minutes, the Cardinals were held to just 11 points the rest of the half. They would go into the locker room trailing 40-26, and looking to improve upon what was a 28.13% mark from the floor in the half. As has been the case as of late, the Cardinals came out strong in the second half, outscoring Glenville State 24-19 over the first 10 minutes of the half. They got as close as 59-50 with 10:33 to play, but Glenville State once again found their groove, and pulled away to an 88-72 victory as the final buzzer rang.
The Cardinals were led by junior Jerry Saunders jr., who scored 12 points on the day, hitting double figures for the third time this season. It was his first double figure performance since putting up 12 points against CAL-U back on December 1st, and fell just four points shy of his season-best 16 point effort against Salem. Saunders was the team's most efficient shooter on the day, making 55.5% (5-9) of his shots from the floor and adding a 2-3 mark from beyond the arc. Saunders jr. Has been a staple in the Cardinal's starting lineup this season and has been a reliable part of the Cardinal's offense all season long. He looks to continue his success down the stretch as they battle for a spot in the MEC Tournament.
The other two Cardinals to finish in double figures on the day were Alex Smith and Sean Ealy, who each finished with 10 points on the day. Smith hit double figures for the fourth straight game, and shot 50% from the floor against the Pioneers. Lately, the three-ball has been a driving factor in the redshirt sophomore's success, making two or more three-pointers in two of his last three games. Sean Ealy would round out the double digit scorers, continuing to be the Cardinal's points leader this season. He is averaging 16.6 PPG entering play on Saturday and sits sixth in the conference in Points Per Game this season. Ealy and Smith have both been leaders for the team throughout the season and look to help them turn things around down the stretch.
Entering play on Saturday, the Cardinals currently sit tied with West Virginia Wesleyan for the 10th and final spot in the 2025 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Tournament. They sit two games behind Davis & Elkins and West Virginia State, who are in a tie for the #8 seed, and just 2.5 games behind Point Park for the #7 seed. The Cardinals have continued to play teams tough throughout the year, losing their last two games by 10 points or less and are looking to put it together for a full 40 minutes. Over the last three games, the Cardinals have scored 44 or more points over the final 20 minutes of play, including a season-high 54 second half points in the loss to Fairmont State. The Cardinals look to translate some of that second half magic to the first half as they head down the final six-week stretch.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Mountain Lions are meeting for the 44th time in program history on Saturday, with Wheeling leading the all-time series at 25-18. The series is even at nine wins a piece in Athens, West Virginia, with the Cardinals trying to break a four-game losing streak at the hands of the Mountain Lions. It has been a high scoring series overall against Concord, with Wheeling averaging 82.21 PPG, as the Cardinals look to break the streak and get their first win in Athens since February 7th, 2019.
The last meeting between the two teams came on February 21st, 2024, in a game that Concord would win 98-70. Wheeling was led by the efforts of Sean Ealy, who finished with 15 points and went 6-13 from the floor. Tee Harris Jr. Added 10 points in the effort, while former Cardinal Marcus Johnson finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds to pick up the double-double.
The Details
Tip-off for Saturday's game is scheduled for 4 PM inside the Carter Center on the campus of Concord University. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
