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CHARLESTON & WHEELING, W.Va. – It is time to start the second basketball season. After over a week away, the Wheeling Jesuit basketball teams begins the 2018 part of their schedule and return to Mountain East Conference action starting Thursday night.
 
The Cardinals women's and men's basketball squads begin 2018 at the Wehrle Innovation Center Thursday evening against the Golden Eagle of the University of Charleston. Tip times are 5:30 p.m. for the women and 7:30 p.m. for the men.
 
Due to the Cancer Research Classic in the McDonough Center Saturday, WJU returns home on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 7, in a 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. doubleheader against West Virginia State.
 
Women's Preview
 
WJU aims to get back on the winning track. The Cardinals (4-8/2-4 MEC) dropped a pair of tight home contests against the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference's Gannon (79-77) and Mercyhurst (72-69) to end 2017.
 
In fact, WJU has suffered five of its eight defeats by a combined 13 points. The Cardinals also look to continue a three-game win streak against the Golden Eagles (6-4/4-2 MEC). WJU won in Wheeling last Jan. 3 (53-47), before it ran to a 74-48 road win on Jan. 28.
 
Charleston won its last two games with a 53-42 home decision over Belmont Abbey on Dec. 19, before it doubled up Bluefield State (53-25) on the road last Saturday.
 
West Virginia State (3-9/3-3 MEC) heads into the week losers of its last three games (@Bellarmine on Dec. 16, 85-74; at California (Pa.) on Dec. 19, 57-51; & at Winston-Salem State on Dec. 31, 103-81) The Yellow Jackets won both games against the Cardinals last year with a big finish of a 90-70 home win on Jan. 5 and a two-point, 75-73, game in Wheeling on Jan. 26.
 
Women's Team Leaders:
WJU
Monica Burns (G, R-Jr.) 16.8 ppg, 31 3FG, 2.9 rpg
Mariah Callen (G, Sr.) 15.3 ppg, 4.3 apg, 27 3FG
Chenelle Moore (F, Jr.) 14.1 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 13 blocks
 
Charleston
Octavia Loll (G, So.) 13.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 31 assists
Abby Watson (G/F, Jr.) 12.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 20 assists
Anna Hayton (F/C, So.) 8.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg
 
West Virginia State
Aurreshae Hines (G, Sr.) 17.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 42 assists
Jasmine Davis (F, Sr.) 13.4 ppg, 37 3FG, 4.9 rpg
Amari Grace (G, Fr.) 9.9 ppg, 24 3FG, 3.9 rpg
 
Men's Preview
 
No. 19 WJU (9-2/5-1 MEC) aims to start the new year strong. After facing NCAA DI's No. 6-ranked West Virginia University in an exhibition, WJU took a 101-60 convincing victory over Carlow University to finish its 2017 part of the schedule on Dec. 19.
 
In the contest with Carlow, Haywood Highsmith became only the second WJU player to reach 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds for his Cardinals career. The forward enters 2018 as both the MEC's leading scorer (22.1 ppg) and leading rebounder (13.2 rpg). He has an NCAA-leading double-double in each of WJU's 11 games, including a 20-point and 12-rebound effort at WVU, which cannot be counted. He also stands in the top 10 of seven other league categories.
 
Charleston has a strong squad where it has an 8-4 mark in the first semester with a 4-2 MEC mark. The Golden Eagles, though, had their three-game win streak snapped in their last game on Dec. 18 at Edinboro, 93-73. UC has suffered both its MEC losses at home against Fairmont State (105-104) and Concord (77-72).
 
The Golden Eagles surprised the Cardinals last Jan. 28 in Charleston by an 85-77 score behind Elliott Cole's 39-point evening, which included seven 3-pointers.
 
In Sunday afternoon's contest, West Virginia State (6-5/4-2) started the year strong at 4-1, but it went 2-4 over the last six games. The Yellow Jackets went 2-2 in their last four MEC contests, before they dropped a Dec. 18 game at Ohio Dominican, 108-96.
 
WJU has recorded success in the series with victories in the last nine matchups since it dropped a 77-76 affair in Institute on Dec. 1, 2012. The Cardinals claimed the games at the Yellow Jackets, 95-85, on Jan. 5 and then a 104-70 final in Wheeling on Jan. 26.
 
Men's Team Leaders
WJU
Haywood Highsmith (F, Sr.) 22.1 ppg, 13.2 rpg, 3.2 apg, 3.2 spg, 1.6 bpg
Preston Boswell (G, So.) 17.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.8 apg
Pat Moseh (G/F, Sr.) 16.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 3.1 apg
Jeremiah Wilson (F, Jr.) 9.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg.
 
Charleston
Kier Anderson (G, Sr.) 17.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg
Shaq Speights (G, Sr.) 10.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg
LaMont McManus (F, Fr.) 10.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg
 
West Virginia State
Pat Johnson-Agwu (F, Jr.) 17.8 ppg, 8.0 rpg
Ernest Jenkins (G, So.) 15.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg
Robert Fomby (F, Sr.) 13.1 ppg, 8.0 rpg