Wheeling, W. Va. – The annual "The Battle for Wheeling" made its way to the Alma Grace McDonough Center on Saturday as Wheeling Men's Basketball took the floor. It was a close battle throughout, with neither team leading by more than 10 points in the game, but in the end, the Cardinals would fall 99-92. The 92 Cardinal points were their second highest total of the season, as they challenged the Toppers classic press offense.
After the Hilltoppers won the opening tip-off, they would go out on a 5-2 lead over the first minute of play. S.J. Hutchinson would get the Cardinals back to within one with a layup that made it 5-4, and it was another Hutchinson layup right before the media timeout that would tie things up at 9-9. The teams would remain tied beyond the media timeout, sitting at 11-11 with 14:09 to go in the first half. The Cardinals took their first lead on a Tee Harris Jr. Three-pointer, and the Cardinals were set on a 6-0 run as they took a 16-13 advantage. Caleb Murray would get hot, scoring the next five points, with a three making it 24-19 in favor of the Cardinals. The Hilltoppers would answer again with five straight points and by the 10-minute mark it was all knotted up at 24-24.
The Cardinals maintained their lead after the 10 minute mark as William Gabbert and Curtis Harrison IV each hit jumpers to put Wheeling up 28-25 with nine minutes to go before the break. The lead would change hands four times over the next five minutes, but at the media timeout it was a 38-37 Cardinal advantage thanks to a pair of Smith free throws. The Cardinals would push that lead to 41-37 thanks to a 5-0, Cardinal run before the Hilltoppers broke the run. West Liberty would score five straight of their own to tie things up at 41-41, and the score would remain tied at 46-46 with two minutes to play. West Liberty would go up 49-46 with a minute and a half to go before the break, a tip-in layup by Gabbert got the Cardinals to within one, and Hutchinson added a layup that gave Wheeling a 51-49 lead. However, West Liberty would get the last strike, as they headed into the locker room up 53-51.
The second half began with more high flying offense as West Liberty's JJ Harper started the scoring and Hutchinson would hit a three-pointer to make it a two-point game. After a West Liberty basket and free throw pushed them to 56 points, Ealy and Smith got the Cardinals back on top with a pair of baskets at 57-56. The first five minutes of the second half would be the most defensive, with the Cardinals giving up the lead once before getting it back. With the game tied at 62-62, Smith would tip a ball into the net and sent the game to the media timeout with Wheeling leading 64-62. Smith would complete the and-one play to make it 65-62, but a Hilltoppers run would create separation. They went on a 10-point swing over the next five minutes and as the clock ticked past 10 minutes, it was a 72-65 Hilltoppers lead.
Wheeling would make slow progress over the next five minutes to cut into the lead, and as the media timeout hit, it was 80-75 in favor of the Hilltoppers. With two minutes to go, the deficit sat at 91-82, and Jerry Saunders Jr. Would put in a layup, followed by a Hutchinson layup that made it 91-86. The Cardinals would be forced to foul over the next two minutes, but the Hilltopper's inefficiency at the free throw line would help Wheeling battle back. West Liberty went 2-4 from the free throw line and Cardinal baskets on the next two possessions got them to within four points at 94-90. After another 1-2 showing from the line, Ealy was fouled and nailed his two free throws to make it a 95-92 game. However, those would be the final buckets for the Cardinals as they fell 98-92.
Two different Cardinals were able to hit the 20-point mark, with Sean Ealy leading the way with 23 points in the effort. His free throws kept the Cardinals on the game and he was 7-16 from the floor in the effort. The other Cardinal to reach the 20-point mark was Alex Smith, who finished with a new career-high 21 points in the game, while also leading the defense with 15 rebounds to pick up the double-double. The final Cardinal to get into double figures was S.J. Hutchinson, who finished with 16 points on the night. Smith would round out the trifecta, leading the team with four assists in the effort. The 92 points were the Cardinal's second highest offensive output of the season as they battled hard against one of the top teams in the conference.
The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team returns to action on Wednesday, January 29th, when they host the University of Charleston at 7:30 PM.
