Wheeling, W. Va- The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team faced another tough loss against a red-hot Concord squad Wednesday night, falling 93-84 in front of the home crowd. The Cardinals must have a short memory as they have three more games left in the regular season, and with a win against Glenville State tomorrow, they can help themselves out to clinch a spot in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Tournament.
Both teams would exchange the opening points, with Jerry Saunders Jr. Sinking the bucket after contact and converting the three-point play. The Mountain Lions regained the lead and held onto it until after the eight-minute mark when Trevor Beresford made good on a one-handed layup, making 24-25. The teams traded the lead five minutes, but Concord gained some separation heading into the half, 41-33. As Wheeling made up ground to bring it back to a one possession lead, Concord responded to widen the gap immediately after. A 7-0 run heading into the 14-minute mark gave the Cardinals hope for a comeback when Sean Ealy hit the jumper to make it 56-54, Concord went on a run of their own to stretch the margin on the scoreboard again to as much as 12. William Gabbert and Ealy did their part launching the air attack with under two minutes left. However, the Mountain Lions closed out the contest at the free throw line for a final score of 93-84.
After having an off-night against Frostburg State, Sean Ealy silenced any doubt in his abilities by dropping 26 points while cashing in on 11 of his 19 attempts from the field. His 458 total points and 18.3 points per game average ties third in MEC scoring. He has one of the best shots in the conference, slashing .445/.331/.876. Ealy also has a keen eye for looking for open teammates with 81 assists on the season, which is 10th in the conference.
William Gabbert sits behind Ealy in team scoring an average of 10.6 PPG and totaling 266 this season. His latest performance against Concord was once of his best from behind the arc. He hit four of seven from range and grabbed 14 points in the loss. With 42 three-pointers made, he is a known threat from deep in the MEC, sitting in the top 15. The opponent is well aware of that he makes 36.4% of his deep balls and working to stop him is surly part of their gameplan.
The magic number for the Cardinals has dropped to two. They are currently tied for eighth in MEC with Davis & Elkins College. For Wheeling to clinch as soon as possible, they must win tomorrow's contest at Glenville and they would also need West Virginia Wesleyan to lose against West Virginia State.
The Matchup
The Pioneers and Cardinals will be meeting for the 44th time tomorrow afternoon. Wheeling has the slight advantage in the all-time series with 23 wins against 20 losses. In their latest meeting on January 15th this season in Wheeling, Glenville came out on top with a 88-72 win. Jerry Saunders Jr. Led the Cardinals with 12 points with Alex Smith and Sean Ealy finishing with 10.
The Pioneers are coming of a loss to the eighth team in Division II, West Liberty, by a score of 106-89. Graduate student Devin Collins led the team with 15 points, making 50% of his shots from the field. Four other Pioneers finished in the double figures, including freshman Don Colon-Lewis with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Collins ranks as the top three-point shooter in the conference with a 44.6% with 55 makes. Fellow teammate Ammar Maxwell is well-known across the MEC too, as the best field goal shooter. The freshman has made 57.3% of his shots from inside the arc.
The Details
The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team travels to the Waco Center on the campus of Glenville State on Saturday, February 22nd, 2025. Tipoff is slated for 3 pm. The game will be streamed live on the Mountain East Digital Network HERE and LiveStats can be viewed HERE.
