INSTITUTE, W.Va. -- West Virginia State's men's basketball erased a 21 point first half deficit to get within three points, but couldn't get any closer, eventually falling to Wheeling 97-92 on Saturday evening in the Walker Convocation Center. Saturday's loss is the first time since February 8, 2020 that State had fallen to the Cardinals. it was also the first time since January 15, 2017 that the Yellow Jackets had fallen to the Cardinals in Institute. West Virginia State had multiple players unavailable due to illness.

WVSU fell to 9-10, 6-7 in the Mountain East. Wheeling improves to 8-12, 3-9 in the MEC.

Jaedaun Slack scored 26 points on 10-of-20 shooting, grabbing six boards, two assists and a steal. Miguel Martinez added 22 points with three rebounds and three assists, hitting 7-of-13 shots.

Sean Ealy scored 32 points for the Cardinals.

WVSU took the first lead of the game. Aymeric Toussaint hit a jumper at 19:39, putting WVSU up 2-0 before Wheeling responded with a three-pointer from William Gabbert at 19:15 to take a 3-2 lead. The Cradinals then took the lead behind strong three-point shooting, hitting 10 first-half triples. Gabbert and Caleb Murray paced the attack from beyond the arc, with Gabbert's three-pointer at 16:35 putting the visitors up 11-8. WVSU responded with key buckets from Slack and Kenyon Giles, with Giles knocking down a deep three at 13:13 to trim the deficit to 18-14.

Despite WVSU's efforts, Wheeling controlled the tempo with aggressive defense and efficient ball movement, recording 15 assists on 21 made field goals. A key turning point came late in the half when Wheeling rattled off a 12-0 run, capped by Tee Harris' fast-break layup at 4:26, extending their advantage to 46-25.

WVSU tried to claw back, with Martinez connecting on a three-pointer at 4:01, and Toussaint's dunk off a steal at 2:26 cutting the gap to 49-34. However, Wheeling maintained control, answering every push with timely scoring.

Slack provided a late spark for WVSU, scoring five points in the final two minutes, but Wheeling closed the half with two free throws from S.J. Hutchinson to head into the break up 56-41.

West Virginia State opened the second half strong, cutting into Wheeling's lead with a three-pointer from  Martinez at 19:25. Kenyon Giles followed up with two free throws, bringing WVSU within ten. The momentum continued as  Toussaint scored back-to-back baskets, including a dunk off a Martinez assist, forcing Wheeling to call a timeout at 17:46. Wheeling responded with a jumper from Ealy, but WVSU remained aggressive, keeping the pressure on with trips to the free-throw line. Midway through the half, Toussaint and Martinez connected again for a fastbreak dunk, trimming the deficit to six points. Slack's three-pointer at 8:24 kept WVSU within striking distance, making it a single-digit game. Wheeling held onto the lead with clutch shooting, including a crucial three from Alex Smith at 2:11. However, WVSU didn't back down, as Slack and Martinez fueled a late push, cutting the lead to just three points after a deep three from Jacob Rice with 14 seconds left. Despite the late rally, Wheeling capitalized at the free-throw line, going 11-for-12, and handing WVSU the loss.