Elkins, W. Va. – Entering Saturday's contest, the Wheeling University men's basketball team (14-7, 9-5) needed either a win or a West Virginia Wesleyan loss to officially punch its ticket to the 2026 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Men's Basketball Championships. The Cardinals took care of business themselves on their road trip to Elkins, West Virginia, defeating the host Davis & Elkins Senators, 83-74. After falling behind early, a 49-point second-half push put the Cardinals over the top as they now turn their attention to the battle for seeding in tournament play.
After shooting 43.8% (14-of-32) over the first 20 minutes of play, the Cardinals came out of the halftime break trailing 40-34. However, Wheeling quickly stole the momentum back as Alex Smith forced a takeaway and Curtis Harrison IV finished the sequence with a dunk. That sparked a 9-1 run that saw the Cardinals retake the lead at 43-41. Smith tied the game with a three-pointer at the 17:51 mark, and Tee Harris Jr. added a layup on the next possession as the Cardinals led for the first time since the 13:22 mark of the first half.
The teams went back and forth heading into the first media timeout, with Wheeling holding a 48-47 lead with 15:14 to play. Davis & Elkins stayed close over the next four minutes before Vegas Evans hit a layup with 11:10 remaining to give the Senators a 57-55 advantage. Jerry Saunders Jr. answered with a three-pointer to give the Cardinals the lead back, and Wheeling entered the final 10 minutes holding a 62-59 edge.
Following the media timeout, Caleb Murray knocked down a three-pointer to give the Cardinals their largest lead of the day at 65-59. That basket started the run that eventually clinched the game, as Wheeling scored eight of the next 10 points. Murray got the run started, but Ayden Goll was the catalyst, accounting for five of the eight points during the stretch. Davis & Elkins broke the run with a layup from Darrius Roach, but a Harrison dunk sent the game to its final media timeout with Wheeling leading 74-63. The Senators made one final push, pulling within 77-68, but Murray squashed any hope of a comeback with a three-pointer to make it 80-68 in favor of the Cardinals. Davis & Elkins scored the final four points of the game, but Wheeling held on for the 83-74 victory.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was Ayden Goll, who was one of two players to shoot 50% or better from the floor. He finished with 24 points on 7-of-12 shooting (58.3%), while also leading the team with five assists and adding a team-high three steals. He was one of four Cardinals to score in double figures, with Caleb Murray following with 18 points. Murray knocked down a team-best four three-pointers, going 4-of-10 (40%) from beyond the arc, while also shooting 7-of-14 (50%) from the floor.
Tee Harris Jr. (16 points) and Curtis Harrison IV (14 points) rounded out the double-figure scorers, while both led the defensive effort with seven rebounds apiece. Wheeling was efficient from the floor throughout the night, shooting 30-of-59 (50.8%), with its best mark coming in the second half at 16-of-27 (59.3%).
Before the Cardinals' comeback effort, Davis & Elkins opened the game by scoring the first four points. Harris answered with a three-pointer, and a Goll layup put Wheeling out in front at 5-4. Goll completed the three-point play to make it 6-4, and Murray capped an 8-0 run with a jumper. That score held heading into the media timeout before Davis & Elkins responded. Matthew Gray broke the run with a layup, and the Senators tied the game at 8-8 with a Gray jumper on the next possession. Trevor Beresford hit a layup to give Wheeling a 10-8 edge, but Davis & Elkins flipped the script with a 10-2 run to take an 18-12 lead with 10 minutes remaining in the first half.
Jalen Wenger stopped the run after the media timeout, but the Senators continued their surge, scoring 12 of the next 16 points to take a 30-16 lead with 6:09 to play. Harrison hit a jumper to get the Cardinals back on the scoreboard, and an alley-oop finish by Harris made it a 33-20 game. Wheeling outscored Davis & Elkins 14-10 over the final 4:40 of the first half and headed into halftime trailing 40-34. The strong finish set the stage for the second-half rally that officially punched the Cardinals' ticket to the 2026 MEC Tournament.
The Wheeling University men's basketball team returns to action on Wednesday, February 11, when it travels to Fairmont State, with tipoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
