WHEELING, W.Va. (Dec. 18) - The Wheeling Jesuit University men's basketball team posted a 90-56 win against Penn State Shenango in a non-conference game Tuesday night at the McDonough Center. 

The Cardinals improve to 1-10 overall and give first-year Head Coach John Peckinpaugh his first win as the WJU taskmaster. Meanwhile, the Lions fall to 4-6 this season.

A trio of players scored in double-figures, led by freshman guard Jay Gentry's (Milwaukee, Wis./Brown Deer) team-high 17 points. Freshman guard Steve Cannady (Bowie, Md./St. Vincent Palotti) added 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting from long range, while senior guard Miguel Rodriguez (Brooklyn, N.Y./Xavier) chipped in 13 points.

PSU Shenango opened up a 13-7 lead several minutes into the game, before the Cardinals answered with a 9-2 run to take an 18-15 lead with 9:45 remaining in the first half. After the Lions reclaimed the lead at 19-18 near the six-minute mark, WJU secured control of the first half with 15-unanswered points over the next four minutes and eventually took a 33-22 lead into halftime.

A quick bucket on the first possession of the second half for Shenango drew the Lions back within single digits at 33-24, but the Cardinals never allowed their guests to get any closer. Wheeling Jesuit out-scored Shenango 23-10 over the first 10 minutes of the second half and cruised to its first win of the season.

The Cardinals, who shot 32 of 63 (51 percent) for the game, were 21 of 33 (64 percent) from the field in the second half and led by as many as 36 points. WJU knocked down 16 of 35 (46 percents) shots from beyond-the-arc and held a 19-4 advantage in fast-break points.

Penn State Shenango was led by Larry Ransom, Jr., who posted a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds in the loss.

The Cardinals will take a break for the Christmas holiday and return to the hardwood on Sunday, December 30 when they travel for a non-conference game to Salem, West Virginia to take on Salem University at 2 p.m.