Wheeling, W. Va. - As the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Tournament race comes down to its final week, the standings are closer than ever. The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (17-8, 12-6) welcomed in Glenville State on Saturday with the Cardinals holding just a one-game lead for one of the top three spots in the conference. The Cardinals would maintain that one game lead as they held off a late surge from the Pioneers to earn the 900th win in program history with a 90-87 win that saw three Cardinals finish in double figures.
The Cardinals held an eight-point lead with 10 minutes to play, but with three minutes to go, the lead was evaporated as Glenville State tied things up at 84-84. The Cardinals looked to create some breathing room and it would be Ayden Goll who gave it to them with a pair of free throws and a layup that made it an 88-84 game. Glenville State's Jalen Knott hit a three that made it an 88-87 game, and the defense would be called upon in the final minute. They came up with two big stops on the offensive end and Goll would be filled with nine seconds left in regulation. He came to the line and nailed both free throws to help the Cardinals take a 90-87 lead. A pair of Pioneer timeouts advanced the ball past the scorer's table and Glenville State had time to draw up one last play. They would get the ball to Corey Boulden, who missed a three and, after an offensive rebound for Don Colon-Lewis, Ammar Maxwell would shoot one more desperation three for the Pioneers. It would end up banging off the glass and the Cardinals walked away with the 90-87 win.
It was a big day for redshirt freshman Ayden Goll, who walked away with his first double-double of the season. He set a career high with 32 points in the winning effort, while also setting a career best with 11 rebounds. He would finish his day 9-19 (47.4%) from the floor while picking up 10 of his points from the charity stripe. The other Cardinal to hit the 20+ point mark was Caleb Murray, who finished with 25 points and was lethal from long range. He would set a new career-high going 7-14 (50%) from three point range, with all but two of his shots coming from distance. The other Cardinal to hit double figures was Tee Harris Jr., who added 17 points in the effort. Along with being the team's leading scorer and rebounder, Goll finished out the trifecta leading the team with seven assists. As a team, the Cardinals finished 40% (30-75) from the floor and 36.8% (14-38) from three point range. It was a hot start that got them going and allowed them to hold on for the late victory.
It was an electric start for the Cardinals, and junior Tee Harris Jr. Would get things going from the tip. He hit a jumper on the team's first possession, and guided them on an 8-0 run to start the game. Caleb Murray was on the back end with a three, before Glenville State's Prince Mosengo broke the run. The Cardinal defense was able to hold the Pioneers to just two points over the first four minutes of play, with another Harris three making it a 14-2 game at the 16:00 mark. The Pioneers answered on an 8-2 run before the media timeout, and got as close as 16-13 with a three from Don Colon-Lewis following the break. It would be Ayden Goll to break the run with a three and the Cardinals would extend their advantage to 22-16 thanks to a jumper from Murray. As the 10 minute mark ticked closer, the teams would trade buckets, but Trevor Beresford kept the Cardinal lead at seven with a layup to make it 30-24 with 10 minutes to play.
Beresford drew a foul on the play and came to the line to complete the and one, but a Colon-Lewis bucket made it 31-26 heading into the media timeout. The Pioneers would continue to battle through the first half, hitting a 6-4 stretch that had them within three points of the Cardinals at 35-32 with 6:48 left in the half. That three-point lead remained with 2:58 showing on the first half clock, with a free throw by Colon-Lewis bringing the score to 42-39. It would be the Cardinal's scoring leader Goll that got things back on track, hitting a three that got the Cardinals on a run. It would be an 8-0 swing for the Cardinals that got them to the 50-point mark, with Murray wrapping things up with a dunk. Glenville State would get the final five points of the half, but the Cardinals would head into the locker room with the advantage at 50-44.
That late push in the first half would turn out to be a turning point as the Pioneers came out hot in the second half. They would hit a pair of three-pointers on their first two possessions, and quickly shrunk the Cardinal lead from six points to two. They completed the 8-2 swing with a pair of free throws and would tie the game at 52-52 two minutes into the new half. Glenville State would end up overtaking the Cardinals with 15:57 to play, but Murray quickly got the lead back on Wheeling's side. He would hit a three-pointer and Harris followed with a three of his own to make it a 60-58 game. It was the beginning of a heater for the junior, who hit back-to-back threes and a Goll layup would push the Cardinal lead back to 65-60. With 12:27 to go, it was once again Goll that got the offense going, scoring five straight points before takig on a three a minute later to bring the score to 73-65. As the 10 minute mark approached, Glenville State would add a jumper, but Alex Smith came to the line for a pair of free throws to negate the shot. It led to a would finish between the two teams as the Cardinals picked up a big win in terms of conference seeding.
The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team returns to action on Wednesday, February 25th, when they travel to Point Park at 7:30 PM
