Box Score Charleston, W.Va.---The Wheeling Jesuit men's basketball team finished the 2012-13 campaign by winning the final 13 out of 16 games. WJU's only three losses were by hands of the No. 1 ranked team in the country, West Liberty University (29-1). Jesuit finished 19-10 overall, including a fourth place finish in WVIAC regular season play at 14-8.

On Friday evening, the Cardinals' season ended in the semifinal round of the WVIAC Men's Basketball Tournament at the Charleston Civic Center. The Hilltoppers used a fast start and held on for a 92-73 win, which stands as the two teams' final meeting as WVIAC members.

Jesuit's offense was led by Justin Fritts, who tallied a team-best 16 points and added five assists and five rebounds. Seniors, Ben Siefert and Joe Prati recorded double-digit scoring performances in their final collegiate contest as Siefert poured in 14 points with six assists and four rebounds. Prati notched 13 points, two rebounds and two steals. Eric Siefert completed WJU's double-figure point performance with 11. Andre Harris and Darin Harris chipped in nine and eight, respectively, and Tim Goff had two.

Prati answered West Liberty's initial layup with a 3-pointer; however, the Hilltoppers responded with a pair of buckets and a 3-ball for a 9-3 advantage. WLU continued to have the hot hand, making 10-out-of-12 shots and pushed the lead to 13 points, 23-10 at the 14:28 mark. Ben Siefert interrupted the run on a nice inside move, but Hilltoppers continued to make shots. Jesuit cut the deficit to ten points on several occasions, and WLU scored points in spurts to push the lead to 54-33 at halftime.

After the break, West Liberty increased the lead to as many as 25 points, 64-39, before Jesuit began to comeback. The Cardinals started to chip-a-way at the deficit with a 15-3 run. The drive was initiated by a pair of free throws by Darin Harris. Ben Siefert tallied the next four points, a layup and two free throws, while younger brother Eric, split two foul shots. After a West Liberty 3-pointer, a layup by Fritts kept the WJU run alive. Andre Harris and Eric Siefert followed with a pair of buckets and free throws; however, WLU still held a 67-54 advantage. The Hilltoppers increased the lead to 17 points, and the Cardinals made one final push.

With the score 75-58 and 7:33 left to play, Fritts scored four consecutive points for the Cardinals. Darin Harris followed with a layup, after a WLU score, and Prati connected from long range, making the score 77-68 with 4:52 remaining. The two teams traded buckets, and another 3-pointer by Prati cut the deficit to eight points, 81-73, at the 2:39 mark. WLU closed out the game with an 11-0 run.

West Liberty will play fairmont State University for the WVIAC Title on Saturday, at 3 p.m.

The Cardinals hope to recieve an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.