Wheeling, W. Va. - After tipping off their 2025-2026 Mountain East Conference (MEC) schedule on Wednesday, the Wheeling University Men's Basketball (3-2, 1-0) will take a brief pause on Saturday. The team will head to Salem, West Virginia for the first of two games with Salem University as part of their MEC Non-Conference scheduling agreement with tip-off at 2 PM. The Cardinals look to keep the momentum rolling from their conference opening win as they build momentum into December.
Last time out, the Cardinals put on a shooting display as they took down Point Park 97-75, putting together their biggest offensive output of the season. As a team, the Cardinals shot 56.5% from the floor and 50% from three-point range and it was the three-ball that helped them pull away from the Pioneers. After battling to a 4-3 score through the early portion of play, Wheeling would hit the first of two 11-0 runs on the day, fueled by three three-pointers. The Cardinals would keep that lead through the rest of the night, and headed into halftime with a 49-30 lead. Point Park would cut that lead to 14 with 11:06 to play, but the second 11-0 run of the day opened the Cardinals to a 75-50 advantage. It would be enough to fuel them through the day as they went on to win by the final score of 97-75 to move to 1-0 in MEC play.
Leading the offensive effort for the Cardinals was Ayden Goll, who tied for the team lead with 19 points, while leading the effort with five assists. Goll would be tied for the Cardinal's most efficient shooter from the floor, going 6-9 (66.7%) from the floor, and 3-5 (60%) from three-point range. Goll has been in double digits every game this season, and has led the Cardinal's scoring effort in four of their first five games. His 19 points against Point Park would tie for his season-best mark and his five assists were tied for the second most during the season. The effort raised his season average to 17.0 points per game, ranking him sixth in the conference in scoring average and 13th in total points. He will look to continue to be a leader on the offensive side of the ball as they continue through the season.
Equaling his 19-point effort was Tee Harris Jr, who finished with 19 points of his own while adding six rebounds on the day. Harris was also 6-9 from the floor, but his biggest impact came from the three-point line, where he went 5-8 (62.5%), with three of those coming in the second half. It was Harris who ignited the final 11-0 run for the Cardinals that sealed the deal, while he added a team-best three big blocks throughout the night. On the defensive end, it was Alex Smith leading the effort, finishing with seven rebounds. It was a new season-high for the redshirt junior, who also made his presence felt on the offensive side with 12 points. He kept the efficiency going for the Cardinals, shooting 5-8 from the floor and 2-2 from three-point range as he continues to be an on-court leader for the Cardinals.
With the conference opening win, the Cardinals continued to climb the defensive leaderboards in the conference, allowing an average of 79.2 points per game. They sit as the fourth-best defense in the conference behind Concord (73.7), Fairmont State (74.7), and Charleston (78.2). They are one of seven teams in the conference to have a positive margin, sitting at 5.0, ranking them fifth in the conference. With the win on Wednesday, the Cardinals got out to their first 1-0 start to MEC play since the 2019-2020 season. With the break from conference play on Saturday, the Cardinals look to keep the momentum going as they set themselves up for a strong run in the second half of the season.
The Match-up
The Cardinals and Tigers are meeting for the 33rd time in program history, with Salem leading the all-time series with a record of 17-15. The home team has had the advantage in the all-time series, with Salem holding a 9-6 advantage at home and the Cardinals leading the all-time series at 9-6 inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center. The Cardinals have averaged 77.59 points per game and have scored 90+ points in two of the last three games between the two teams.
The last meeting between the two squads came back on January 22nd, 2025, in a game that Salem would win 110-95. Leading the way for the Cardinals was Alex Smith, who finished with a team-best double-double, scoring 18 points and 12 rebounds. Former Cardinal S.J. Hutchinson followed with 17 points off the bench, while six different Cardinals would hit double figures on the night.
The Details
Tip-off for Saturday's game is scheduled for 4 PM inside the Edward Davis Gymnasium on the campus of Salem University. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
