Wheeling, W. Va. – The Wheeling University Men’s Basketball team (3-3, 0-1) kicked off December with a thriller in the Alma Grace McDonough Center Sunday. It would be a back and forth battle that went into overtime before the Cardinals picked up an 89-83 win over California University of Pennsylvania (CAL-U), marking their first win against a top 10 opponent in over two seasons. The Cardinals defeated the Vulcans for the first time since the 2009 season, on the backs of a defense that held #10 CAL-U to a 34.1% on the night.
That defense stepped up when it mattered most as the game headed to overtime with the score knotted at 79-79. During the final five minutes, the Cardinals held CAL-U to a 15.38% mark from the floor, and neither team got on the board until the 3:41 mark. Those first two points went to the Vulcans as Jordyn Buchanan hit a pair of shots from the free throw line. William Gabbert was quick to respond for the Cardinals, hitting a layup on the next possession and would be the one to seal the victory. Jaylon Jackson gave Wheeling the lead on a layup, and Gabbert would come to the free throw line four times in the final two minutes of play. The biggest moment of the game came with 28 seconds to go with the Cardinals holding an 83-81 advantage.
Gabbert would draw the foul and headed to the free throw line to take his two shots. After making the first, he hit the second off the rim and got a big offensive rebound, before drawing another foul to get back to the line. Just like his previous appearance, Gabbert made the first and missed the second, but this time Tee Harris Jr. Was waiting and dunked the ball back up to give Wheeling a four-point swing. Gabbert would make his final trip to the free throw line with six seconds to go, and this time nailed both of the shots. It would bring the game to its final score of 89-83, earning the Cardinals a big in-region win against a top 10 opponent, and it helped even their season record at 3-3 overall before they get back into Mountain East Conference (MEC) play.
Defense led the way throughout the night, and it was Alex Smith who came up with the big stops when they were needed. The Redshirt sophomore led the way with 20 rebounds on the night, while sitting second on the team with two assists to lead the effort. Smith finished just three rebounds shy of the single-game record, and went over the 15 rebounds mark for the second time in the last three games. Leading things on the offensive side was senior guard Sean Ealy, who tied his career-high with 30 points in the effort, while making 50% of his shots on the night (8-16). The other three Cardinals to hit double digits were S.J. Hutchinson (19), William Gabbert (14) and Jerry Saunders Jr. (12), as the Cardinals posted a 39.1% mark from the floor.
The Cardinal’s defensive success began right from the get-go, with the Vulcans being held to just four points in the first eight minutes and 10 points over the first 10 minutes of play. The Cardinal’s offense would take advantage. All four of those Vulcan points came in the first minute and a half of play before Ealy got things started with a layup. That layup would send the Cardinals on an 11-0 run, with Ealy scoring eight of those 11 points including a three-pointer that ended the stretch. The Cardinals were out to a 14-4 lead and held that advantage at 21-10 by the 10-minute media timeout. However, as quickly as the lead was built, it began to vanish as the Vulcans outscored Wheeling 20-9 over the next six minutes to make it a 32-30 game. The two teams would battle back and forth over the final three minutes of play, but a quick defensive spurt from CAL-U at the end of the half would send them into the locker room with a 44-41 lead.
The Cardinals offense would have to be aggressive coming out of the locker room and they did just that as Saunders got them on the board with a layup on their first possession. The Cardinals scored the first five points of the half, and the teams were once again tied at 46-46 with 17:56 to play. With just 10 minutes showing on the clock, CAL-U had ballooned their lead to 63-51 and with just under four minutes remaining, they held a 10-point lead at 75-65. Hutchinson would get the comeback started with a pair of free throws, and the Cardinal defense would have to come up with one last stand. They did just that, allowing just two points over the final three and a half minutes as the Cardinals battled back.
Hutchinson would get the comeback started with a pair of free throws and Saunders added a layup that cut the lead to 75-69. As the clock ticked under the one minute mark, Ealy would hit a big three-pointer for his team and drew the foul to attempt the four-point play. Ealy would convert the final free throw, and made it a 75-73 game. A pair of free throws by Jordyn Buchanan made it a 77-73 game and the Cardinals made one last stand. Just as he sealed the game in overtime, Gabbert would put it in reach with 28 seconds remaining with a layup and Sean Ealy would draw a foul with 17 seconds to go. He hit the final two free throws to send the game into overtime before the Cardinals picked up the overtime win.
The Wheeling University Men’s Basketball team returns to action on Wednesday, December 4th, when they hit the road to face Davis & Elkins with tip-off at 7:30 PM.
