Glenville, W. Va. – Over their last two games, offense has been the Hallmark for the Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (10-5, 6-3), with the team going over the 100-point mark in each of those two games. On Saturday, the Cardinals continued that success, spreading the ball around with four Cardinals hitting double figures. In the end, the Cardinals combined for a big bounce back win as they took down Glenville State 86-80 for their 10th win of the season.
The game would start with a defensive stalemate, as the teams would combine for four points over the first three minutes. A pair of Alex Smith free throws accounted for the two Cardinal points, and at the 17 minute mark it was tied up at 2-2. However, the Pioneers would break the drought and soared off to an 11-0 run that lasted the next four minutes and with 13:42 to go in the half, the Pioneers had a 13-2 advantage. After being held off the board for a six-minjte stretch, it was Smith who got the Cardinals back on the board, making it a 13-4 game. Wheeling would be held to just four points until the 11:21 mark, when Jerry Saunders Jr. Came to the free throw line. He went 1-2 and a Caleb Murray three would help the Cardinals double that point total. The Pioneers would add two more shots before the 10-minute mark and Wheeling would be forced to battle back from down 19-8.
Saunders Jr drew a foul before the media timeout, and proceeded to make both his free throws coming out of the break. An Ayden Goll three pointer completed the Cardinal 5-0 run and they cut into the Glenville State lead at 19-13. The Pioneers would take their lead back to 10 points, before Curtis Harrison IV hit a three to get it back to single digits. However, Glenville State continues to extend their lead and with 3:55 to go, they had gotten out to a 31-17 lead. Goll would hit a free throw and Saunders added another three to cut the deficit to 32-21 with 3:24 to go before the half. At the 2:14 mark, the Cardinal's three point threat was able to heat up, with Caleb Murray hitting a pair of threes. Murray got things started and it was Saunders who would end things from three-point range. He hit on me with 46 seconds to go, and a three at the buzzer would send the game into halftime with Wheeling trailing 38-35.
It was the three ball that got the Cardinals back into the game, shooting 38.1% from three-point range, and they would look to continue that in the second half. As they came out, they took two minutes to get going, but Smith was able to get the Cardinals on the board. Harrison IV would hit a jumper and a pair of free throws to make it a four-point game, before Tee Harris Jr. hit a three that further cut into the Pioneer advantage. A Murray three ball would cap off the 8-2 Cardinal swing and the game would sit tied at 49-49 with 13:54 to play. Glenville State would temporarily take that lead back, but Murray would once again hit from three, giving Wheeling their first lead of the night. Glenville State would grab the lead right back with a 5-0 swing, and a Harris three would make it a 59-57 game with 10:47 to play. Harris got to the free throw line before the 10-minute media and it was all tied at 59-59 with 10 minutes to play.
The teams would trade threes coming out of the break, but Glenville State continued to hold a slight advantage. They led 67-64 with eight minutes to play, and Lamar Dampier would get the Cardinals ahead again. He would hit a layup and immediately secured a steal and score on a full court press to put Wheeling ahead 68-67. The Cardinals hit a 5-0 run to take their largest lead of the day and by the five-minute media, their advantage sat at 75-73. Both teams were battling for the lead, and with just a minute left the score was tied at 79-79. Murray would hit again from three-point range to make it an 82-79, and Glenville State cut the lead to two with a free throw. It would be free throws that would finish things out as the Cardinals came to the lcame twice in the final minute. Saunders would hit both his shots and Goll finished the night with two of his own. It brought the game to its final score of 86-80, moving the Cardinals to 10-5 overall and 6-3 in Mountain East Conference (MEC) play.
Leading the effort for the Cardinals was Caleb Murray, who finished with 20 points in the effort. It was the second straight game in which he hit the 20-point mark, and he was a big part of the Cardinal success from the three-point line. He would finish the night 7-16 from the floor and an impressive 6-13 from the three-point line, tying his career high from three. He was one of four Cardinals to hit double digits in the game with Tee Harris Jr. (15), Jerry Saunders Jr. (14), and Alex Smith (13) each hitting the mark. Saunders would have the most efficient night from long range, going 3-4 as he finished with a 3-4 mark in the effort. Curtis Harrison IV would lead the defensive effort with eight rebounds, while Ayden Goll added a team-best six assists to lead the passing game.
The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team returns to action on Wednesday, January 21st, when they host Salem with tip-off at 7:30 PM.
