Fairmont, W. Va. - It was a battle between two of the top teams in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) on Wednesday night, as the Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (14-7, 9-5) traveled to the Joe Retton Arena in Fairmont, West Virginia Wednesday night. The Cardinals took on the host Falcons for the second time during the 2025-2026 season, and the Falcons came out on fire. Wheeling battled back in the second half, but it wasn't enough as the Cardinals fell 77-60 to move to 9-6 in MEC play.
The Falcons came out on fire to start the night, drawing a foul on the first possession that got them going. Fairmont State would end up scoring the first six points of the night, before an Ayden Goll layup at the 17:17 mark broke the run. It would end up being just a temporary break in the scoring for the Falcons, as they added five straight points and by the media timeout it was an 11-2 Fairmont State lead. Goll would come to the free throw following the break, hitting both shots and adding a layup to account for the first six Cardinal points. Tee Harris Jr. Would add a layup with 13:33 to go in the half, and a Curtis Harrison IV dunk got the Cardinals back to within 10 points at 20-10. Caleb Murray would hit from long range just before the 10 minute mark, and the Cardinals gained some momentum as they cut the Fairmont State lead to 20-13.
As the 10-minute mark ticked by, Trevor Beresford went into the paint for a layup, and the Cardinals were back within striking distance at 20-15. Jalen Wenger would answer a Fairmont State free throw with a jumper to make it 23-17, before the potent Falcons defense locked in again. They would keep the Cardinals off the board for the next three minutes, and a 9-0 Fairmont State run would turn the tables. Harrison hit a layup heading into the media timeout, but the Cardinals trailed 32-19 with 5:15 to play in the half. It was Wheeling's defense's turn to play tight, and they responded holding the Falcons to a two minute drought, and with three minutes to play it was a 34-21 Fairmont State lead. Murray would hit a layup with 2:57 to go, but another Fairmont run, this time a 6-0 swing, would make it a 41-24 game. Murray would hit the final Cardinal shot heading into the half, as the Cardinals trailed 41-26 at the break.
After shooting just 33.3% from the floor in the first half, including an 8.3% mark from three-point range, the Cardinals were looking to see more shots fall in the second half. Wheeling would make a statement right away with a Harris Dunk, and scored the first four points of the second half. Fairmont State would answer at the 17:49 mark, and the teams would go back and forth heading to the first media timeout. They would end up trading the next six baskets and by the 15-minute media the score sat at 45-33 in favor of the Falcons. Harris would cut into the lead heading out of the timeout, and Jerry Saunders Jr. Added three points with 12:41 to go to cut Fairmont State's lead to 12. As they did throughout the half, Fairmont State had an answer and the deficit remained 12 when Saunders added a pair of free throws with 12:02 to go.
The Cardinals remained within striking distance, but Drew Carter would come to the charity stripe for the Falcons and started the run that ultimately won the day. It would be a game-high 13-0 run that lasted for nearly six minutes, and gave Fairmont State a 65-42 advantage. Goll would be the one to break the run with 6:46 to go, and the Cardinals would make one final push to get back into the game. Murray would hit a three right before the five-minute media timeout, but with 3:01 to play, the score sat at 77-49. Wheeling would end the game on a run, scoring the final 11 points, thanks to big contributions from their depth pieces. Harris would start the run with a three and DJ Wingfield got on the board with a layup with 1:38 to go. Finishing off the game would be Elijah Edwards, who hit two three-pointers in the final minute, to get the game to its final score of 77-60.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was Ayden Goll, who finished with 14 points on the game, while going 5-10 (50%) from the floor. Goll would play nearly the entire game at the Point Guard position, and was the Cardinal's leading free throw shooter, going 4-6 from the charity stripe. He was one of three Cardinals to hit double figures in the effort, with Caleb Murray (13) and Tee Harris Jr. (12) each hitting the mark. Murray would be the Cardinal's leader from three-point range, going 3-10 (30%), while Harris tied with Goll with a 50% mark from the floor. The defensive game was led by redshirt junior Alex Smith, who finished with a team best 12 rebounds, four assists, and three steals, while Elijah Edwards hit the wo late threes to set a new career-high with six points.
The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team returns to action on Saturday, February 14th, when they host Frostburg State with tip-off at 4 PM.
