Box Score WHEELING, W.Va.---The Wheeling Jesuit men's basketball team forced Seton Hill University to commit three turnovers in the final three minutes of Monday evening's contest for a 67-62 victory at the Alma Grace McDonough Center. With the win, the Cardinals moved up two spots to the No. 4 ranked team in the WVIAC with an 11-7 record in the league play and 14-8 overall while the Griffins fell to 11-11 overall and 8-10 in WVIAC.
 
'It was a great team effort,” said Head Coach Danny Sancomb. “Our guys never quit, and we were able to make a few defensive stops at the end of the game which turned into enough points to earn the win.”
   
“Seton Hill did a good job defensively, especially in the first half,” said Coach Sancomb. "We never established any kind of offensive rhythm in the first half, but made some adjustments and did a much better job in the final 20 minutes.”
 
Four Cardinals reached double figures in scoring. Justin Fritts led Jesuit's offense with 17 points and Recardo Gaddy followed with 15 points. Ben Siefert and Joe Prati rounded out the double-digit scoring with 11 points each. Eric Siefert and Tim Goff added five points apiece while Darrin Harris and Andre Harris chipped in two and one, respectively.
 
The game needed all 40 minutes to decide the winner as the contest showcased 11 tied scores and nine lead changes. The first half was a back-and-forth battle which featured four tied scores and four lead changes with the largest lead being held by Seton Hill at six points, 20-14. Jesuit led 27-25 with 2:42 remaining in the half, but Seton Hill recorded a pair of free throws and a field goal in the final two minutes for a 29-27 halftime advantage.
 
After the break, the seesaw battle continued. Seton Hill opened the half with a 3-pointer, and Jesuit answered with a pair of buckets by Fritts and a field goal and free throw from Goff for a 34-32 advantage. Gaddy followed with a trifecta to give the Cardinals a 37-32 lead. The Griffins battled back and tied the game 37-37, and the two teams continued to trade points.
 
With 8:21 remaining in the game, the Cardinals tied the game for the ninth time at 49-49 as Gaddy found the bottom of the net from long distance. Fritts followed with a pair of free throws to give WJU a two point advantage, 51-49. The Griffins responded with seven unanswered points on four free throws and a 3-pointer from Oliver McGlade to establish a 56-51 advantage with 5:11 left to play. Jesuit interrupted the SHU scoring outburst as Ben Siefert found Gaddy for a lay-in; however, McGlade connected from deep again to push the Griffin lead to six points, 59-53.
 
The Cardinals responded with a layup, but the turning point of the game was a solid defensive performance in the final 3-minutes of regulation. After a WJU miscue, the Griffins rushed the ball down the floor creating a fast break, and what appeared to be an energizing, momentum-shifting dunk from SHU's Lenjo Kilo, until Eric Siefert striped the ball in midair as Kilo was attacking the rim. The ball deflected out of bounds off Kilo's leg and Jesuit was awarded the ball.
 
The Cardinals capitalized on the opposite end of the court as Fritts found Prati in the post for two points, and the Cardinals transitioned into full court pressure. Fritts stole the inbounds pass and tied the game 59-59 with 1:49 left to play, and the Cardinals continued to press. Immediately after the Griffins put the ball in play, Jesuit caused another turnover as two Cardinals pinned the SHU offensive player on the sideline, forcing the him to step out of bounds as he looked for a way out of the trap. The Cardinals scored on the ensuing inbounds play when Ben Siefert drove the lane and lifted the Cardinals to a 61-59 advantage with 1:40 left in regulation.
 
The Cardinals finished the 10-0 run and extended the lead to four points at the 1-minute mark when Eric Siefert found Fritts cutting through the lane for a lay-in. The Griffins retaliated with a 3-pointer by David Windsor, leaving the Cardinals with a 63-62 lead. With 22 seconds left in the game, Gaddy buried a pair of free throws to push the Cardinal lead back to three points, 65-62. The Griffins' final attempt to tie the game rattled in-and-out of the rim, and Prati secured the defensve rebound for Jesuit. Prati was immediately fouled and made both free throws to ice the game.
 
The Seton Hill offense was led by McGlade's 18-point performance, and Windsor followed with 11 points. The Griffins controlled the glass, outrebounding the Cardinals 45-29.
 
Wheeling Jesuit will be back in action on Saturday, February 16 at the Alma Grace McDonough Center for Senior Day against the University of Pitt-Johnstown. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.