Wheeling, W. Va. - With a first round bye secured, the Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (17-8, 12-6) is battling for seeding as they enter the final week of the regular season. They begin the week with their final regular season road trip, with the Cardinals heading to the Steel City to take on Point Park with tip-off at 7:30 PM. The Cardinals enter Wednesday night's game riding a three-game winning streak and look to continue their winning ways with the 2026 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Men's Basketball tournament looming.
Last time out, the Cardinals welcomed in Glenville State to the Alma Grace McDonough Center. The Cardinals got out to a fast start, scoring 14 of the first 16 points of the game, but had their lead cut to 16-10 by the media timeout. The Cardinals built their biggest lead of the day with 1:59 to go in the first half, and would head into the locker room holding a 50-44 lead. It was an 8-0 run that helped secure the Cardinals first half lead, and that would turn out to be key as the Pioneers battled back to tie things at 84-84 with three minutes to go. The Cardinals were in need of one more run to seal the deal, and got it when they scored four straight points in the span of a minute and it was enough for them to hang on for the 90-87 win. While the offense would get them the early lead, it was the defense that secured the win as the Cardinals made one final stop with seconds to go to secure the win.
Leading the Cardinals in the effort was redshirt freshman Ayden Goll, who set a new career high with 32 points in the winning effort. He would also pick up his first double-double of the season, adding 11 rebounds and seven assists to round out the big day on the floor. When the Cardinals needed him the most, it was Goll who stepped up in the final minutes of the game. He would go 4-4 from the free throw line over the final 2:43 of play, and added a layup to secure the victory. The effort helped raise Goll's season average to 18.5 PPG, making him the second leading scorer in the conference. He sits behind Frostburg State's Trey Simmons, who is averaging 23.6 PPG, while also sitting third in the conference in assists with 114. Goll will be a leader for the Cardinals in their postseason run and looks to finish the regular season strong.
The other Cardinal to hit the 20+ point mark was senior Caleb Murray, who put up 25 in the effort. Of his 25 points, 21 of those came courtesy of three-pointers, with the senior going 7-14 (50%) from three-point range. The seven threes were a new career-high for Murray, who has also been featured on the defensive side of the game. He has been pitted against the opposition's top scorer and he continued his success Saturday, holding Glenville's Jalen Knott to just 11 points. Rounding out the double digit scorers was Tee Harris Jr., who finished with 17 points on the day. He continued to play big on the glass, pulling down seven rebounds, including four on the offensive end, and turned those into nine second chance points for the Cardinals. Harris has been a key to the Cardinal's success this season and will look to continue being a key contributor on both sides of the ball.
With two more games to go on the 2025-2026 MEC regular season, the Cardinals remain locked in a two-way tie for the #3 seed in the conference. They hold an identical 12-6 record to the University of Charleston, and need some help to clinch the #3 seed. The Cardinals can clinch the #3 seed by winning each of their final two games and having the Golden Eagles lose either to Glenville State or West Virginia State down the stretch. If the two teams end the year tied, Charleston currently holds the tie breaker via record against common opponents, going 1-1 against Fairmont State compared to an 0-2 mark for Wheeling. The Cardinals currently sit just three wins away from their first 20-win season since the 2017-18 campaign and they look to continue their winning ways into the tournament.
The Match-up
The Cardinals and Pioneers are meeting for the fifth time in program history, with Wheeling leading the all-time series at 3-1. However, all three of those wins for the Cardinals have come at home, with the Cardinals holding an 0-1 record when they head to Point Park. The Cardinals have taken back-to-back games against Point Park, and are looking for their first season-series win against the Pioneers since they joined the conference last season.
The first meeting between the two teams came back on December 3rd, 2025, in a game the Cardinals won handedly, 97-75. Leading the way for the Cardinals was Tee Harris Jr., who finished with 19 points while sitting second on the team with six rebounds. Ayden Goll matched his 19 point effort, with both players shooting 6-9 (66.7%) from the floor, while three other Cardinals hit double digits in the winning effort.
The Details
Tip-off for Wednesday night's game is scheduled for 7:30 PM inside the CCAC Allegheny Gym. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
