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60
Winner WJU-M WJU-M 13-1 6-1 MEC
59
West Va. Wesleyan WVWC 9-4 4-3 MEC
Winner
WJU-M WJU-M
13-1 6-1 MEC
60
Final
59
West Va. Wesleyan WVWC
9-4 4-3 MEC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
WJU-M WJU-M 29 31 60
West Va. Wesleyan WVWC 26 33 59

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Chris Myers

Cardinals Last-Shot Defense Seals Win over Bobcats

BUCKHANNON, W.Va. – After a turnover with 3.9 seconds left gave away the ball, Wheeling Jesuit turned up the last-shot defense against the Mountain East Conference's top inside player, West Virginia Wesleyan's Tanner McGrew, and saw his shot go off the mark to seal a 60-59 road victory.
 
Leading 45-37 with 8:39 remaining, the Cardinals (13-1/6-1 MEC) saw the Bobcats get hot from beyond the arc. West Virginia Wesleyan (9-4/4-3 MEC) drained five 3-pointers over the next six minutes, but WJU never gave up the lead for its seventh win in a row.
 
"We struggled tonight. We had to gut it out as we made enough plays to win," explained Cardinals' head coach Danny Sancomb. "Our defense won the game. I was happy with our effort as we did not let our offense effect our defense."
 
Eric Siefert topped the WJU scoring with 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting with six rebounds and five assists.
 
Kyle Ritz and Haywood Highsmith also hit double-digit with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Pat Moseh chipped in nine points, five rebounds and three assist, while Fritts added nine tallies of his own.
 
The Cardinals' 60 points is their lowest output of the season. The visitors hit only 3-of-11 from 3-point range and struggled from the foul line where they were 15-of-26.
 
West Virginia Wesleyan's Moo Berchie was its key 3-point shooter. Berchie connected on 4-of-5 triples for a game-high 17 points and kept his team in the game. The 6-9 McGrew contributed nine points and nine boards.
 
Trailing 26-23 with 1:03 to go in the opening 20 minutes, WJU went on the big run of the day. Matt Stewart, who had five points, hit a 3-pointer at 56 seconds and Kyle Ritz dropped another at the buzzer for a 29-26 Cardinals' halftime lead. WJU continued the spurt with 11 of the opening 12 second-half points and made it a 17-1 run and 38-27 margin, the largest of the game, at 15:42 remaining.
 
Leading 51-42, the Bobcats made a trio of 3-pointers over a 1:45 period to cut the difference to two points, 53-51. The home team's fourth trey 50 seconds later made it the WJU lead 55-54 with 2:41.
 
The Cardinals, though, never relinquished the lead through the last defense effort on McGrew's 15-footer before the final buzzer.
 
WJU continues on the road Tuesday night, January 12. The Cardinals play at the Pioneers of Glenville State in a 7:30 p.m. matchup.


 
 
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