Wheeling, W. Va. – It was a special Monday morning matinee match-up as the Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (6-3, 2-1) hosted their education day match-up against Franciscan University. After trailing at halftime, the Cardinals made some second half adjustments as they outlasted the Barons 82-74. It would come down to the final three minutes, but a strong defensive stand was enough to secure the victory.  

With Franciscan leading 34-28, the Cardinals needed a spark and went to their top three-point shooter. Caleb Murray would hit a three-pointer on the opening possession and finished with a layup to send Wheeling on a 5-0 run. It got the Cardinals within one point of the Barons, and would tie it up at the 18:31 mark when Ayden Goll hit from three-point range. It sent the Cardinals on a 9-0 run that turned a three point deficit into a six-point Cardinal lead. After a short scoring drought, the Cardinal run continued into the media timeout, with a three-point play from Tee Harris Jr. Capping the run at 14-0 in favor of the Cardinals. Kris English and Harris would lead the Cardinals to the 10-minute mark, with the duo accounting for each of the next 10 points and making it a 58-45 Wheeling lead as the game came down to its final 10 minutes. 

However, Franciscan had an answer, scoring seven of the next nine points and with 8:31 remaining on the clock it was a 60-52 Cardinal advantage. As time continued to tick away, the Barons continued to battle, and a fastbreak lay-up from Karl Yonkeu would make it just a three-point game. That's when Zach Oliver took over the game, hitting three straight three-pointers and with just 4:09 to play it was a 72-66 Franciscan lead heading into the final media timeout. The Cardinals needed a big shot, and got one from Goll who completed a four-point play to make it a 72-70 game. After another layup from Oliver, Caleb Murray would be fouled beyond the arc and would hit each of the three free throws to make it a one-point game. That is when the Cardinal's defense stiffened, with Alex Smith and Goll each getting steals that resulted in fastbreak layups on the opposite end. The Cardinals would then seal the deal from the free throw line, going 3-4 as the game came to its final score of 82-74. 

Leading the way for the Cardinals was Ayden Goll, who reached the 20+ point benchmark for the second game in a row. He would finish with 21 points, falling just two points shy of his career high that he set against Charleston on Saturday. He shot 7-15 (46.6%) from the floor, showing his most success from beyond the arc where he finished 4-6 (66.7%) to help the Cardinals secure the win. Caleb Murray would finish behind him with 15 points, including a 2-8 mark from three-point range and a 5-5 line from the charity stripe, while Tee Harris Jr. (12) and Kris English (12) each hit the double-digit range. Harris would finish with his first double-double of the season, leading the effort with 11 rebounds while adding four blocks on the defensive end. Goll would also lead the passing game, finishing with six assists, while tying with teammate Alex Smith for the team lead with three steals. 

Before hitting 51.43% of their shots in the second half, the Cardinals had trouble seeing the ball through the net early on. Curtis Harrison IV would make the first shot of the day, hitting a layup on the first possession, but that would be their only points of the first five minutes. Franciscan would take advantage, riding an 8-0 run as they headed towards the media timeout. That is when they would turn to Murray, who hit a big three that made it an 8-5 game heading into the media timeout. Wheeling would add on after the media timeout, with Trevor Beresford hitting a layup and the Cardinals remained within one point of the Barons. They would overtake them for the first time in the game at the 11:56 mark, when Goll hit a jumper and English would add a jumper of his own to make it a 13-12 Cardinal advantage. Franciscan would hit a 5-0 run before the 10-minute media timeout, and Franciscan held a 17-13 lead. 

A Jalen Wenger free throw would temporarily break the run, but Franciscan hit another short 5-0 run and held what was their biggest lead of the night at 22-14. Wenger would respond with a three-pointer and added a layup a few minutes later to cut the Baron advantage to 24-21. It would be back and forth between the two teams and, after a three-pointer from Franciscan's Sawyer Butler, Wheeling would hit a 5-0 run, fueled by a three-pointer from Goll that made it a 27-26 game. Franciscan would add five straight points of their own to take a 32-26 lead and the Wheeling defense would step up in the final minute. English would get a steal and take the ball coast-to-coast on a layup for Wheeling's final score of the half and the teams went into the locker room with Franciscan leading 34-28. The Cardinals would turn things around in the second half, and closed out the non-conference win, 

The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team returns to action on Wednesday, December 17th, when they host Davis & Elkins with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 PM.