Box Score WHEELING, W.VA.---The Wheeling Jesuit men's basketball team exploded for 51 second half points, on 69.2 percent shooting from the floor, en route to a 92-66 dismantling of Tiffin University at the Alma Grace McDonough Center on Saturday evening. With the win, the Cardinals improved to 2-0 on the season, while the Dragons fell to 1-2 overall.
Jesuit recovered from a 10-point first half deficit to take a 41-39 halftime advantage behind the sharpshooting of
Justin Fritts. The freshman from Mentor, Ohio led the Cardinals' offense with 31 points, and nearly everything that left his hand found its way through the cylinder. Fritts connected with 12-of-14 field goals which included a 7-for-8 showing from beyond the 3-point arc.
Senior point guard
Ben Siefert followed his 40-point, 11-rebound game with one of the few triple-doubles in WJU history, collecting 14 assists, 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Joe Prati added a career-high scoring night, pouring in 26 points and collecting seven rebounds.
Darin Harris chipped in eight points,
Steve Bridgeman added five and
Recardo Gaddy had three, while three others recorded two points.
The Dragons flew to a 19-9 advantage by the 15-minute mark behind an aggressive back-to-back attack from deep by Joe Graessle, who notched 10 points during that stretch.
Prati answered with a 3-pointer for the Cardinals, and Fritts proceeded to take over the game, scoring 16 consecutive points. The Ohio high school standout scored 22 of the Cardinals 32 initial points, knocking down six 3-pointers (five-straight) and two field goals. The Cardinals held on to a two-point lead into the break.
In the second half, the Cardinals' offense was firing on all cylinders as Jesuit connected with 18-of-26 shots from the field, including a 5-for-8 long range performance. The Cardinals quickly extended the lead to 11 points, 56-45 and led by as many as 31 points, 91-59.
Wheeling Jesuit will open conference play on the road Tuesday, November 20 against Glenville State College. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
