Box Score  
WHEELING, W.Va. – The upset of the year slipped through the fingers of the Wheeling Jesuit men's basketball team on Thursday night, as they battled arch rival and #1 team in the country, West Liberty to a 93-89 overtime loss in front of the largest crowd in recent memory at the McDonough Center.  
 
The Cardinals valiant effort saw them jump out to an 11 point lead at the half, only to see the undefeated Hilltoppers claw their way back, and drain six-of-six free throws in the dying seconds of overtime to escape with the win.
 
Coach Danny Sancomb's Cardinals suffer their fifth-straight loss, all of which games the Cards have been in-it-to-win-it, and fall to 6-8 on the season, and 4-7 in MEC play.
 
"I told the guys in the locker room, we didn't lose because we beat ourselves, they made the plays, they beat us fair," said WJU head coach Danny Sancomb. "I loved our effort. I thought we battled extremely hard. We didn't shoot the ball particularly well in the second half, but we just kept fighting and playing and battling with them and had an opportunity to win the game."
  "It hurts. We need a win. We've played so well the last five games and we haven't had the result we wanted," added Sancomb. "I hope we can grow from this experience and know that they are the number one team in the country, and we're right there with them. Now, can we be consistent and play like that every week? That's the question."
 
Leading the charge for the Cardinals was Justin Fritts, who was the game's highest scorer with 26 points, 22 of which came in the first half when he was 4-6 on three-pointers. Eric Siefert was clutch down the stretch hitting big shots in the second half for a total of 22 points, as was Andre Harris who put in 15 points and was a force in the post throughout the game. Matt Stewart was excellent as well, coming off the bench for eight big rebounds, six points, and generally being in the right place to make big plays.
 
The Cardinals came out of the gates firing, trading blows with the Hilltoppers and draining big shots when they needed them to run out to a 53-42 halftime lead. WJU went 9-14 from three-point land in the first half, but that would be it for the Cards, as they would shoot 0-17 on threes for the rest of the game.
 
Siefert and Fritts were instrumental in pushing the pace of the game in the first half, breaking the WLU full court press with sharp ball handling and passing.
 
As they do, the Hilltoppers would mount a second half comeback, topped off by a big three-pointer from Devin Hoehn who put WLU up 70-69 with 3:51 to play. It was the first lead the Toppers held since the 2^nd minute of the game, but it wouldn't last as the Cardinals forced overtime.

 
Into the extra period, Eric Siefert kept the Cardinals in it hitting two huge jumpers, but WLU went 6-6 on free throws in the final seconds, and walked away with the victory. Free throws turned out to be a key factor in the game, with Wheeling Jesuit shooting just 62% from the line, while WLU shot almost 90%.
 
The Cardinals return to the Bird Cage on Saturday when they take on MEC foe Notre Dame College at the McDonough Center. The game is set to tip-off at 4:00 PM.