Wheeling, W. Va. – The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (6-6, 1-4) started the 2025 portion of their schedule with a bang, taking down Franciscan 84-68. The Cardinals look to ride that momentum into their second half Mountain East Conference (MEC) schedule on Wednesday as they hit the road to face Fairmont State at 7:30 PM. Wheeling is looking to be playing their best basketball in January and February and looks to keep their wave of success going.
The Cardinals welcomed Franciscan into the Alma Grace McDonough Center for the third season in a row Saturday, taking on a tough Baron team. Franciscan held Wheeling off the board over the first five minutes of play, but once the Cardinal offense got started it was hard to shut down. After the slow start, the Cardinals were able to battle back and put up 35 points over the final 15 minutes of the half. They went into the locker room with a 35-25 lead and were looking to build on that in the second half. They would do just that, shooting 47.06% from the floor, and putting up 49 points over the final 20 minutes of play. They would go on to win by the final score of 84-68, to even their overall season record at 6-6.
After playing a large defensive role early in the season, Alex Smith has separated himself as a scorer lately. He tied for the team lead with 15 points and three assists against Franciscan, while adding three rebounds and four steals. He was the Cardinal's most efficient shooter on the day, going 5-6 (83.3%) from the floor, while adding a 5-7 mark from the free throw line. Smith has hit double figures in two of his last three games, including a season-high 16-points against Charleston back on December 14th. Smith has routinely been one of the best defensive players for the Cardinals all season, and looks to continue growing on the offensive side of the ball as the season goes on.
The other Cardinal to hit the 15-point mark was Sean Ealy, who finished with 15 points while tying for the team lead with three assists. Ealy has been the Cardinal's leading scorer all season long, averaging 17.8 PPG, and has scored 15 or more points in each of his last three games. He scored a career-high 36 points in the MEC first half finale against Charleston and looks to continue his offensive success into the second half. When the Cardinals have needed a spark off the bench, they have turned to Caleb Murray, who put together another strong effort. He put up 13 points against Franciscan, going 5-7 from the floor and 3-5 from beyond the arc. He currently sits second on the team shooting .393 from beyond the arc as he has hit big shots throughout the year.
As they enter the second half MEC stretch run, the Cardinals will be looking to climb the conference ladder. They currently sit 10th in the MEC with a 1-4 record, but are just 0.5 game behind Frostburg State and one game back from being as high as sixth in the conference. After having to play in the first round of action in each of the past two seasons, the Cardinals are looking to grab one of the top six spots in the conference to earn the first-round bye. They will take on the MEC's top team to open their second half schedule, giving them a challenge as they get things started. A win could propel them into a run that could set them up for a first round bye come early March.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Falcons are meeting for the 55th time in program history, with Fairmont State leading the all-time series at 38-16. The Cardinals are 7-20 when playing on the road against Fairmont State and are looking to break a 12-game losing streak at the hands of the Falcons. Wheeling averages 76.93 points per game in the all-time series and will be looking for their first road win against the Falcons since February 12th, 2015.
The last meeting between the two teams came on February 14th, 2024, in a game Fairmont State would win 89-66. The Cardinals were led by S.J. Hutchinson, who set a career high with 19 points while shooting 4-9 from beyond the arc. Former Cardinal Marcus Johnson added 15 points in the effort while leading the team with six assists, and Sean Ealy added seven points in the effort.
The Details
Tip-off for Wednesday's game is scheduled for 7:30 PM inside the Joe Retton Arena on the campus of Fairmont State University. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
