WHEELING, W.Va. (Dec. 5) – The Wheeling Jesuit University men's basketball team fell 95-80 to Fairmont State in a Mountain East Conference (MEC) matchup Wednesday night.
 
The Cardinals drop to 0-8 overall, 0-5 in the MEC. Meanwhile, the Falcons improve their record to 5-0 in league play, 7-2 overall.  
 
Freshman guard Steve Cannady (Bowie, Md./St. Vincent Pallotti) led five players in double-figures with a season-high 19 points. Fellow freshmen guards Jay Gentry (Milwaukee, Wis./Brown Deer) and Franck Kamgain (Kansas City, Mo./DME Sports Academy) added 18 and 14 points, respectively. Sophomore guard Brendan Hoban (Watertown, Mass./Millbrook School) tossed in 14 points, while freshman forward Tariq Woody (Canton, Mich./Novi) chipped in a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. 
 
Wheeling Jesuit took an 11-9 lead early in the first half after a layup by Woody at the with 16:44 left in the half. Fairmont State went on to outscore the Cardinals 18-7 over the next seven minutes to build a 27-18 lead with 9:31 remaining in the first half. Two threes by Gentry brought the Cardinals within single digits by the 6:05-mark, but the Falcons increased their lead to 48-36 by halftime.
 
Two key layups by Cannady and free throws by Hoban at the beginning of the second half helped Wheeling Jesuit close the gap to 51-47 with 15:55 left in the game. The Falcons kept up the pressure, outscoring the Cardinals 44-33 during the rest of the second half.

Both teams shared the ball well. Fairmont State dished out 25 assists, while Wheeling Jesuit finished with 18 dimes.

The Falcons held the edge on the glass, out-rebounding the Cardinals 48 to 33 on the night.
 
Wheeling Jesuit will hit the road for another MEC contest at Shepherd on Saturday, December 8 at 4 p.m.