Box Score WHEELING, W.Va.---The Wheeling Jesuit men's basketball team took control of the game early and fought off all comeback attempts by West Virginia State University en route to an 85-73 victory at the Alma Grace McDonough Center.
 
“It was a good win,” said Head Coach Danny Sancomb. “We bounced back from a tough loss (Saturday), worked hard and played together.”
 
Sancomb continued, “We need to execute better in our half court offense, but we're finding ways to win. We continue to get great minutes from different individuals, and tonight it was Eric Siefert and Darin Harris. Eric made some big shots for us and Darin was a great presence in the paint.”
 
The Siefert brothers stole the show on Monday evening as Eric Siefert led the Cardinal offense with an outstanding second-half performance. Eric Siefert poured in 17 points in the final stanza to finish with a team-high 19 points while adding four rebounds and four assists. Older brother, Ben poured in 18 points while recording a team-best nine assists and six rebounds. Justin Fritts followed with 15 points, four rebounds and two assists, while Darin Harris rounded out the double-figure performances with 14 points, and five rebounds.
 
The Cardinals (10-8, 7-7 WVIAC) flew to a 9-2 start as Tim Goff made the Cardinals initial field goal. Fritts followed with a 2-point bucket, and Ben Siefert added two layups which included an old-fashion 3-point play. Jesuit continued to attack the Yellow Jacket (7-12, 5-9 WVIAC) defense, building a 10-point advantage, 18-8, by the 12 minute mark. WV State began to chip away at the Cardinal advantage, cutting the lead to six points, 27-21, but WJU responded with another big scoring outburst.
 
The Cardinals ended the half with a 16-8 run, sparked by a Ben Siefert layup. Harris followed with a pair of free throws and a field goal, and Fritts cashed in on a midrange jump shot. Harris added a strong post move for two points, and Ben Siefert made his way through the paint on back-to-back trips down the floor. Recardo Gaddy ended the half with a bucket, and the Cardinals led 43-29.
 
The Yellow Jackets opened the second half with an 11-0 run, 43-40, and held Jesuit scoreless for five minutes. At the 15 minute mark, Ben Siefert started the scoring, and Joe Prati followed with dunk. Andre Harris and Fritts added a lay-in and a trifecta to the 9-0 run as the Cardinal raced back to a double-digit advantage, 52-40. During the final 13 minutes of play, Jesuit maintained a substantial lead behind the sharp shooting of Eric Siefert, who scored nine consecutive points and 14 of the Cardinals final 21 points.
 
Jalen Walker and Anton Hutchins led WV State's offensive efforts with 19 points apiece. David Ford added 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
 
The Cardinals will be back in action at the Alma Grace McDonough Center on Thursday, January 31 against Concord University. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.