Korte Three Lifts Wheeling to Dramatic Win Over Davis & Elkins
Elkins, W. Va. – For the third game in a row, the Wheeling University Men's Basketball team (2-5, 1-2) had a game come down to its final seconds. However, unlike the last two games, it was the Cardinals who hit the last shot as they outlasted Davis & Elkins 78-75. It was juniorJohn Kortewho made the three-pointer with five seconds remaining to help Wheeling to their first Mountain East Conference (MEC) win of the season.
After Wheeling had built a 12-point lead over the first half, but as the second half rolled around Davis & Elkins got their offense going. They scored 54 points over the final 20 minutes of the game and brought the score to 75-72 with a minute left in the game. Charleston Ponds hit a three-pointer with 17 seconds remaining in the game. Wheeling had possession and had to find a way on the board. It took them just 12 seconds to bring the ball up the court, and find Korte on the perimeter. He put the shot up with five seconds remaining and it found the net to hand Wheeling a 78-75 lead. The Senators got off on more desperation shots, but Wheeling held on to pick up the victory.
It capped off what was a big night for the junior, as he scored 13 points in the game, and missed just one shot all night long. He was a perfect 5-5 for. The floor and 2-2 from beyond the arc. His only miss came at the free-throw line, where he went 1-2. Jordan Reid continued his streak of 20-point games, reaching the mark for the third game in a row with 21 points on the night. He now sits 45 points away from the 1,000-point mark and looks to become the 46th1,000-point scorer in school history. Jarett Hainesscored 16 points on the night and led the team with six. As a team, Wheeling shot an impressive 50% from the floor on the night and was able to finish out the game, an emphasis for the team this week.
Before the dramatics of the second half, it was more of a defensive game with a combined 56 points between the two teams. The Senators took charge over the first two and a half minutes of play, jumping out to a 7-0 lead. He may have ended the game, but he also got the offense going scoring five points as Wheeling worked their way to a 7-0 run of their own that tied things at 7-7 with 13 minutes left in the first half. Wheeling would add seven more points before the run came to an end, and pushed their lead to 14-7. The Senators would score the next two buckets, and the score sat at 14-11 with 10 minutes left in the half.
Wheeling would separate themselves in the first half over those final 10 minutes, starting things off with an 11-2 run that put the Cardinals up 25-13. Four different Cardinals led the run with William Gabbert, Jay Gentry, Andrew Taylor, and Korte scoring on the run. The Cardinals were able to hold that lead through the rest of the first half, and less 34-22 at the half. As a team, Wheeling shot 40% from the floor in that first half and was an impressive 70% from the free-throw line. Wheeling went into halftime with confidence but had to prepare for the offensive storm that came in the second half. They were able to hold off the Davis & Elkins in that second half and earned their first conference win of the season.
The Wheeling University Men's Basketball team is back in action on Saturday, December 4th, when they host West Virginia Wesleyan, with tip-off scheduled for 2 pm.