Box Score WEST LIBERTY, W.Va.---The Wheeling Jesuit men's basketball team finished fourth overall n WVIAC play after falling on the road to West Liberty University, 101-76. Jesuit finished the season with an overall record of 17-9 and 14-8 in league play while the Hilltoppers ended regular season play with a 27-1 overall mark and 21-1 in the WVIAC.
 
Recardo Gaddy led the Cardinals' offense with 21 points on a 50-percent shooting effort which included a 7-for-14 showing from the floor and 5-for-10 performance from beyond the 3-point arc. Ben Siefert and Justin Fritts added 15 points apiece. Andre Harris and Darin Harris chipped in nine and eight, respectively, while Eric Siefert tallied four points. Joe Prati and Tim Goff rounded out the scoring with two points each. Prati pulled down a team-high six rebounds, and Darin Harris and Eric Siefert added five each.
 
The Hilltoppers snapped the Cardinals' eight-game winning streak on Saturday evening with a second half offensive outburst. WLU shot a blistering 63-percent from the field which included a 7-for-15 effort from downtown while adding 55 points to the scoreboard.
 
In the first half, Gaddy started the scoring for the Cardinals, connecting from deep and giving WJU a 3-2 advantage. Ben Siefert followed with back-to-back field goals to give Jesuit a 7-4 advantage, but the Hilltoppers responded with a 10-0 run for a 14-7 lead at the 13:45 mark. Gaddy interrupted WLU's offensive flow with a pair of free throws, and Andre Harris added a long range bomb to bring the Cardinals within four points, 16-12. The Hilltoppers extended the lead to nine points, but another trifecta from Harris reduced the deficit to six points, 25-19.
 
After a WLU 3-pointer, Jesuit used a 6-0 run to pull within three points, 28-25, as Ben Siefert recorded a pair of free throws, Fritts added one and Gaddy connected from long range. The two teams traded shots from behind the 3-point stripe and WLU led 34-28. Fritts found his way to the charity stripe on three consecutive possessions and tied the game 34-34 by making all six free throws. The two teams trade shots from behind the 3-point arc, again, and WLU added an extra shot from deep while Ben Siefert answered with a lay-in for WJU. With a 40-39 advantage, Hilltoppers added two 3-pointers before time expired, and WLU led 46-39 at halftime.
 
Gaddy opened the second half with a field goal and Prati followed suit, but the Cardinals still trailed by five points, 48-43. A pair of Hilltopper 3-pointers and a WJU miscue led to an 11-point WLU advantage, 54-43. Fritts added a pair of free throws and a trifecta, but the Hilltoppers continued to respond from deep en route to the WVIAC win.
 
Wheeling Jesuit will host first round WVIAC Men's Basketball Tournament action at the Alma Grace McDonough Center on Tuesday, February 26. The No. 4 seeded Cardinals will battle the No. 13 seeded Senators of Davis & Elkins College at 7:30 p.m.
 
Full WVIAC Men's Tournament Info