Box Score WHEELING, W.Va.---Fans filled the Alma Grace McDonough Center and created an electrifying atmosphere on Saturday evening for another epic battle between the Wheeling Jesuit men's basketball team and its area-rival No. 4 ranked West Liberty University. The game needed the full 40 minutes to decide the winner, but in the end, the Hilltoppers (17-1, 11-1 WVIAC) held on for 87-82 victory.
 
''West Liberty is a good team and did the things they needed to do to win the game,” Head Coach Danny Sancomb said. ''We were able to keep it a low-scoring game, and put ourselves in a good position to win the game. We had a good game plan, and our guys did a good job defensively, forcing them into contested 3-point shots.''
 
The Cardinals (9-8, 6-7 WVIAC) were led by Ben Siefert and Andre Harris. Siefert recorded in team-high numbers with 25 points, eight assists and five rebounds, while Harris notched 24 points with five rebounds and two assists. Justin Fritts rounded out the double-digit point scorers with 14 points and five rebounds, and Recardo Gaddy added seven points and four boards. Joe Prati and Eric Siefert chipped in four points apiece and grabbed five and four rebounds, respectively. Tim Goff and Darin Harris wrapped-up the Cardinals' offensive efforts with two points each.
 
The first half of the initial meeting between the two teams this season featured eight lead changes and four tied scores. West Liberty opened the game with a 7-2 run and held a 14-6 advantage after the first five minutes of play. A jumper by Andre Harris sparked a 12-2 Cardinal run as Ben and Eric Siefert followed with field goals. West Liberty responded with a 2-point bucket, but on the opposite end of the floor, Joe Prati threw down a dunk which brought the fans to their feet. On the ensuing possession, Andre Harris connected with a reverse layup, and Fritts found the bottom of the net to give the Cardinals their first lead at 18-16.
 
The two teams traded buckets and back-to-back strikes from Andre Harris, a layup and 3-pointer, put the Cardinals ahead 25-21 with 7:39 remaining in the half. Wheeling Jesuit extended the lead to six points behind a lay-in by Ben Siefert and an old-fashion 3-point play by Fritts, 30-24. The Hilltoppers responded with two shots from beyond the arc to tie the game at 30 apiece, and added two more trifectas for a 36-30 advantage. Jesuit fired back with a 9-2 run for a 39-38 advantage with 1:07 left in the first half. In the final minute, West Liberty used four consecutive field goals for a 46-39 halftime lead.
 
In the second half, the Hilltoppers immediately pushed the lead to 10 points with a long-range jumper, but Ben Siefert answered the call on the opposite end of the floor. Jesuit cut the deficit to one point, 51-50 by 15-minute mark, but a 3-pointer by WLU created a four point spread. The two teams traded buckets, however, back-to-back scores put the Hilltoppers ahead 63-55 with 11:30 left to play. West Liberty increased the lead to as many as 11 points, 72-61. The Cardinals responded as Ben Siefert connected from deep coupled with pair of free throws and field goals from Eric Siefert and Andre Harris to cut the Hilltopper lead to four points, 80-76, with 1:12 remaining. In the final minute, West Liberty made 7-of-8 free throw attempts to hold on for the win.
 
The Hilltoppers were led by Alex Falk's 27 points and nine rebounds. Tim Hausfeld followed with 17 points, while Shawn Dyer and CJ Hester added 12 points apiece.
 
The Cardinals will be back in action on Monday, January 28 at the Alma Grace McDonough Center against West Virginia State University. Tipoff is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.