WLU Squeaks Past Wheeling University
Hilltoppers to Face Fairmont State Today at 6 P.M.
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WHEELING -- David doesn't always beat Goliath. David is the underdog for a reason, he's supposed to lose after all. Even when he loses, however, sometimes David still gets pretty darn close.
The way Wheeling's men's basketball team played Friday, you would have thought Goliath went down.
In the quarterfinal round of the MEC Tournament inside WesBanco Arena, the Cardinals (10-20, 9-15 MEC) pushed top-seeded rival West Liberty (27-2, 21-2), the No. 2 team in the nation, to the brink but ultimately fell, 89-81, to the Hilltoppers.
"This was an uncomfortable game going into it," said WLU coach Ben Howlett. "We just played these guys on Saturday and I wasn't looking forward to this game from the get-go."
Despite beating the Cardinals by 15 on their home court just six days earlier, Howlett knew that Wheeling would be giving it their all Friday night.
"Let's give Wheeling a lot of credit," he said. "I thought they played a really good game, maybe the best they've played all year. To beat them by the numbers we beat them in the regular season and for them to come back and play us this close in the conference tournament speaks volumes."
Wheeling topped West Liberty in several key statistical categories that usually result in victory, but the Cardinals were not able to finish consistently enough to complete the upset.
"I thought our recipe (to win) was right there, it's just a matter of finishing some of those possessions on both ends," said Wheeling coach Chris Richardson. "We make as many field goals as they do, we make more threes than they do and we take more shots than they do, we did everything we had to do to win the game except finish some of those possessions on both ends."
Wheeling tied WLU in made field goals (33) and led in 3-pointers (4-3) and field goal attempts (69-67) while also holding the Hilltoppers to just 3-15 shooting from deep. West Liberty held a 45-30 rebounding advantage, however, including 15 offensive boards.
"This was the worst game we played all season, especially in the first half," Howlett said. "This is what March is all about. You come into these games and beat a cross-town rival who you just played on Saturday and you take it, learn from it and hopefully get better by tomorrow."
The Hilltoppers jumped out to an 8-0 advantage to start the game and held that lead for much of the contest, but their sluggish offense held them back from ever fully pulling away.
"We took the bait," Howlett said of WLU's offense. "They weren't going to let our guards penetrate and at times I thought we forced things. It was just a tad bit better in the second half, but that's something we're going to see and we have seen throughout the year.
"They were really in the gaps and they made those gaps small. We tried to drive and it just wasn't there. Sometimes when things don't go our way, we start to panic."
"You've got to make them take tough shots," explained Wheeling guard Jordan Reid. "You can't let them get the back-door layups or the easy tip-ins, you have to make them take tough shots. I think we played with a lot of tenacity today."
By staying within striking distance, Wheeling was able to put together a 10-2 run and pull even with the Hilltoppers 55-55 midway through the second half.
"I was like, 'whoa, I'm not so used to playing this close this deep into the game'," said WLU forward Marlon Moore. "It kind of wakes you up and lets you know that guys are ready to play. It's not just 'oh we're going to play West Lib and they're going to shoot 100 threes and beat us'. No, they're ready to play just like how we're ready to play. I'm happy to play that game."
After being troubled by West Liberty's full-court press in both of their previous meetings, Richardson turned to an unexpected source for some advice for Friday's matchup.
"I think I'm 0-5 against West Liberty now, so what I was doing wasn't working," Richardson admitted. "So I called up (Wheeling football coach Zac) Bruney, who's 2-1 against them and said 'give me your best trips set' and we played a little bit of football out there tonight."
Wheeling used several different sets on inbounds plays where all five players lined up on the baseline, not unlike how a football offense looks at the line of scrimmage before a play.
That creativity helped Wheeling minimize West Liberty's pressure and allowed the Cardinals to run their offense more consistently. The Cardinals only turned the ball over seven times despite the Hilltoppers pressing for all 40 minutes.
"That was a big lesson from (Wednesday)," Richardson said. "We started taking quick shots against Glenville State's press and we saw what the success rate was when we were able to get the ball out and run offense."
After a few minutes of even play, West Liberty went on a 9-0 run that gave them some breathing room with a 12-point lead they would hang onto until the end.
"It's a basketball game," siad Howlett. "That's what a typical basketball game is like. I think people get spoiled by our games and they expect us to win by 50 points every game and that just doesn't happen. This is what basketball is in March."
Wheeling got superhuman efforts out of their best players. Four starters played more than 35 minutes and the fifth logged 29:36. Senior leader Jarett Haines stayed on the floor for all 40 minutes and Reid would have if not for a couple of cramps.
"This game meant everything," said Haines, who led Wheeling with a game-high 28 points. "We knew coming in that we would have to play hard, we knew we'd have to limit mistakes and have ultimate focus. This is probably the hardest I've ever played in my life and we really wanted this win. I'm just glad everybody fought and played as hard as they could, that's all you can ever ask for. Even though we didn't get the win, I can say we went out playing as hard as we could."
Reid finished right behind Haines with 22 points and fellow senior Jay Gentry provided 15.
West Liberty's standout was junior Pat Robinson, who scored 10 of his team-leading 22 points after Wheeling had tied the game at 55.
"I just think it's hard to beat a team three times in one season," Robinson said. "In March, I didn't expect them to just lay down and let us beat them. They gave us a good fight and they weren't going to give us a free win, we had to go in there and take it.
"We don't want any easy wins, we want to earn everything."
He was supported by 16 points from Bryce Butler, who also had 10 rebounds and six assists, 12 points by Will Yoakum and 10 from Malik Mckinney. Moore, a fifth-year senior, went over 1,000 points in his career with nine.
The Hilltoppers advance to today's semifinal round, where they will play fourth-seeded Fairmont State at 6 p.m.
The season comes to a close for the Cardinals, who will say goodbye to an impactful senior class.
"There's no other team I'd rather lose to than them," Reid said. "They bring out the best in me. It meant a lot just to go out playing the best that I could. I feel like I gave it my all and there's nothing I can do but be happy with that."