Pittsburgh, PA. - When the women win the first half of a doubleheader this season, the Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (18-8, 13-6) entered Wednesday night with a 12-1 record. After the women started the night with a win over Point Park, the Men's Basketball team followed suit, thanks to a strong first half, as they completed the Steel City sweep taking down the Pioneers 93-83. Wheeling would have a big night in the paint, with 44 of their 93 points coming from down low, and it was a career day from Tee Harris Jr. That would be the key to this success.
The junior picked up his fifth double-double of the season, scoring a career-high 26 points, while adding 12 rebounds in the winning effort. He was the most efficient shooter from the floor for the Cardinals, going 11-19 (57.9%), with 17 of is 26 points coming from the paint. On the defensive side, he would pull down 12 rebounds, and played big on the defensive glass with eight defensive rebounds compared to four on the offensive end. It is the second time this season that Harris has gone above the 20-point mark, while the 12 rebounds tied a career-high in the win. Behind Harris were three other Cardinals finishing in double-digits, with Jerry Saunders Jr. (16), Caleb Murray (18), and Ayden Goll (12) all reaching the mark. Goll would lead the passing game with seven assists on the day, while Alex Smith led the way with two steals and added six assists to round out the winning effort.
Harris's big day would get started right from the start, as he hit a layup on the Cardinal's first possession to give them a 2-0 lead. It would kick-off a 6-3 run for the Cardinals to start the game, but Point Park would quickly respond with back-to-back jumpers that made it a 7-6 Pioneer lead three minutes in. Murray flipped the scoreboard for the third time with a three-pointer, and sent the Cardinals on a 9-0 run heading into the first media timeout. Harris would hit the final two jumpers before the break, and kept things going with a free throw and a three-pointer after the break. In total, the Cardinals would go on a 16-0 run spanning three minutes as they put themselves ahead 22-7. Point Park brought the run to an end with a dunk from Jaylen Stewart, but three pointers from both Saunders and Jalen Wenger would make it a 28-12 game as the 10 minute mark approached.
As the 10-minute mark ticked by, both defenses stepped up with the two teams combining for just eight points over the next four minutes. Murray would hit a three to break the scoring drought, and added a jumper to put the Cardinals ahead 35-17. The senior added one more jumper before the media timeout, and with 4:10 to play in the half, the Cardinals held a 39-19 lead. The final four minutes of the half saw the two teams go back and forth, with Point Park holding a 6-5 scoring advantage during the stretch. Harris and Goll each hit jumpers down the stretch and, with 30 seconds left in the first half, Saunders added a free throw to get the Cardinals to the 44-point mark. The Pioneers would get the final points before the half, with Emeka Anwah hitting a jumper, but the Cardinals headed into the break holding a 44-25 lead.
It was an efficient half for the Cardinals, who shot 56.7% (17-30) during the stretch, and that would be a continued theme throughout the second half. However, the Pioneers would not back down and they came out strong in the second half, scoring six of the first eight points out the gate. They would cut the Cardinal's lead to 48-34, but a pair of Murray free throws would get Wheeling to the 50-point mark. The two teams would trade shots going to the media timeout, and a three from Harris would make it a 55-38 game with 15:45 to go. Harris would end up accounting for the next eight Cardinal points, before fellow forward Trevor Beresford hit a layup that made it a 62-43 game. As the final 10 minutes approached, the Cardinals held a 16-point lead, but the Pioneers just kept battling, with a three from the Pioneer's Jayden Davis kicking off the final 10 minutes.
While some key three-pointers helped the Cardinals build their lead, they would go into the paint to help secure the victory. With the score sitting at 68-54 with 9:48 to play, the Cardinal defense once again stepped up. They would hold the Pioneers to two points over the next three minutes, Curtis Harrison IV would hit a free throw to make it 71-56 with 7:14 to play. As the final media timeout approached, the Cardinals would hold an 80-68 lead, and the Cardinals would have to survive one more Pioneer push. 3:25 showed on the clock following the final media timeout, and Point Park would outscore Wheeling 13-7 during the span. They got as close as 87-81 before the Cardinals sealed the game from the charity stripe. Saunders would go 4-4 and a Goll layup would round out the 93-83 win. Despite being outscored 58-49, but the Cardinals continued their efficiency from the floor, making 16 of their 28 shots for a 57.1% mark from the floor.
The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team returns to action on Saturday, February 28th, when they host West Liberty with tip-off at 4 PM.
