Wheeling, W. Va. - As they prepare to close out the month of January, Wheeling University Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Richardson believes his team is playing some of their best basketball of the season. They have scored 90+ points in each of their last two games, and are coming off a seven-point loss against a regionally ranked West Liberty opponent. The Cardinals (6-12, 1-9) will close out the January portion of their schedule when they host The University of Charleston on Wednesday night at 7:30 PM, and they are looking to get back in the win column before the final month stretch.
Last time out, the Cardinals opened the annual "The Battle for Wheeling" series by welcoming West Liberty inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center. It was a close game throughout, with neither team leading by more than 10 points at any point during the game. Both teams reached the 50-point mark during the first half, with the lead changing hands 12 times over the first 20 minutes of play. West Liberty would be the ones holding the advantage at the half, leading 53-50 as the Cardinals looked to keep pushing. The back and forth continued throughout the second half, but with 2:54 to play, Wheeling would have to battle back from an 89-79 deficit. They got as close as 95-92 with 22 seconds to play, but in the end it wasn't enough as the Cardinals fell to the Hilltoppers 99-92 in another classic game of the intense rivalry.
The Cardinals were once again led by a double-double effort from redshirt sophomore Alex Smith, who finished with 21 points and 15 rebounds. It was the second straight double-double for Smith, while going 8-14 (57.2%) from the floor including two three-pointers. After initially setting a new career-high with his 18-point effort, Smith added onto that against West Liberty, going over the 20-point mark for the first time in his career. He also picked up his fourth double-double of the season as he continues his success rebounding the ball. He has raised his scoring average over the month of January, averaging 8.7 PPG, while sustaining his team lead in rebounds per game at 9.2 REB/G. As they continue down the playoff stretch, Smith will continue to be a key contributor for the Cardinals as they make a run towards the tournament.
Sean Ealy continued being the scoring leader for the Cardinals, finishing with 23 points, and coming up with some of the biggest shots of the day. He was fouled with 22 seconds to go and came to the free throw line, where he would nail both of his free throws to make it a 95-92 game. He is the Cardinal's leader, averaging 17.0 PPG this season and looks to continue coming through big for the Cardinals. When the team has needed a spark off the bench this week, they have turned to junior guard S.J. Hutchinson. It has been a big week for the guard, who scored 33 points between the two games, while shooting 43.3% from the floor. He got his second start of the season against West Liberty on Saturday and scored 16 points to finish third on the team.
Despite their current six game losing streak, the Cardinals have been playing some of their best offensive basketball as of late. The Cardinals have scored 90+ points in each of their last two games, and are averaging 84.2 PPG over their last five games. Richardson is looking for his team to have better finishes to games, closing out wins late with solid possessions on offense and strong defense. As they get ready for their second trip around the MEC in February, the Cardinals hope to make the necessary adjustments to climb the ladder and get back in the race for a possible first round bye in this season's MEC Tournament.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Golden Eagles are meeting for the 45th time in program history, with Charleston leading the all-time series at 24-20. However, when the teams meet inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center, the Cardinals have played much better, going 9-9 in 18 previous matchups. The Cardinals were able to split the 2023-2024 season series with a win at home over the Golden Eagles, and are looking to keep that success going as they welcome the Golden Eagles back inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center.
Their first meeting of the 2024-2025 season came back on December 14th, 2024, in a game Charleston would win 103-94. The Cardinals were led by a career-best 36 point effort from Sean Ealy, who went 12-23 from the floor including five three-pointers. Alex Smith added 16 points on the day, while Tee Harris Jr. Added 13 points to round out the offensive effort.
The Details
Tip-off for Wednesday night's game is scheduled for 7:30 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.
