Wheeling, W. Va. – After a big win on the road on Saturday, the Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (9-5, 5-3) returned to their home floor looking to keep the momentum rolling. They welcomed in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) leading Concord Mountain Lions and were able to hit the century mark for the second game in a row. However, it would end up falling just short as the Cardinals dropped just their second home game of the year 108-100.
With 6:51 to go in the first half, it looked like Concord was going to run away with things, holding a 44-28 lead. Alex Smith would fight for the rebound after a missed free throw, and a Jalen Wenger jumper on the other end began to turn the tide. Ayden Goll followed with a three, and Tee Harris Jr hit a dunk that sent the game into the five-minute media timeout. It would send the Cardinals on an 11-0 run, with Goll accounting for seven of the 11 points, including a 4-4 mark at the charity stripe after a Concord technical foul. The run got the Cardinals to within nine points of the Mountain Lions and they continued to cut the deficit. Four straight Concord points would cut the run short, but the Cardinals were right back at it, with back-to-back layups from Lamar Dampier.
With 1:23 left in the half, Concord would hold a 52-44 lead, before a Harris layup got the Cardinals off and running once again. He would add a 1-2 mark from the charity stripe, and another free throw at the 58 second mark made it 52-47. As the clock ticked down to its final seconds, with both teams striking big before the half let out. With seven seconds to go, DJ Wingfield would hit a big three to make it a 52-50 game. As time was expiring Concord's Micah Young brought the ball up the court and got over the half court line and launched a shot from the volleyball line. It would get off before the buzzer and swished through the net to give Concord a 55-50 lead as the teams broke for the locker room. After a slow start to the half, the Cardinals picked things up over the final five minutes, raising their shooting percentage for the half to 47.4%. After erasing an early deficit, the Cardinals would look to keep the momentum going as they looked to complete the comeback.
It would be their offensive leader that got things going as Ayden Goll hit a pair of layups out of the break to make it a 55-54 game. Concord would score the next four points, but Curtis Harrison IV would get three of those back thanks to a three-point play. It would send things into the media timeout with Concord leading 59-57, before both defenses would make a stand. Both teams were held off the board over the next two minutes, with Concord breaking the drought at the 13:43 mark. With Wheeling trailing 61-57 Caleb Murray would flip the scoreboard to the Cardinals favor for the first time in the game with five straight points, staking the Cardinals to a 62-61 advantage. After a Concord response, it was once again Murray from three-point range that got Wheeling back in front. Concord would end up going back in front thanks to six straight points, but Wheeling put up four of their own. All four would come from Jerry Saunders Jr., and by the 10-minute media it was all tied at 69-69.
Coming out of the break, the two teams would trade the next two buckets before the Mountain Lions created some separation. They would hit an 8-0 run over a two minute span, and Wheeling would trail 79-71 with 7:23 to go. Goll hit a pair of free throws to break the run, but it wasn't long until the Mountain Lions were right back on offense. They would extend their lead to 10 with just under six minutes to play, but a Harrison three would cut into the lead. On the next possession, Goll would hit a three and the five minute media timeout approached with the lead trimmed to 88-81. Murray added a three that trimmed the lead to 88-84 but, as was the case for most of the night, Concord would pull away again. With just under three to play, the Concord lead sat at 97-90 when Alex Smith inched the Cardinals closer. However, Concord would get to the 100-point mark with 1:11 to play and, despite reaching 100 points themselves it wasn't enough. It was a Goll three that got them there, but that would end up being the final shot of the game as they fell 108-100.
It was a big day for Ayden Goll who set a new career high for the third time this season, leading the way with 35 points. He would be one of the most efficient shooters on the night, making 50% (9-18) of his shots while adding a 5-9 (55.5%) mark from three-point range and a 12-13 mark from the charity stripe. Caleb Murray finished right behind him with 13 points, including three from long range, while Curtis Harrison IV added 11 points. Leading the defensive effort was Alex Smith, who finished with nine rebounds and two steals, while adding six assists to lead the passing game. After a slow start, the Cardinals were able to pick things up in the second half, and finished the day shooting 47.2% from the floor. Wheeling scored 50 points in each half, but fell just short of knocking off the MEC leaders.
The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team returns to action on Saturday, January 17th when they take on Glenville State at 4 PM.
