CHARLESTON, W.Va. (Feb. 14) - The Wheeling Jesuit University men's basketball team traveled to the state's capital for a Mountain East Conference (MEC) clash against Charleston on Thursday night that ended in an 80-73 defeat for the Cardinals.

Wheeling Jesuit drops to 5-18 overall, 4-13 in MEC play with the loss. Charleston improves to 11-6 in the conference standings, 16-7 overall with the win.

Freshman guard Franck Kamgain (Kansas City, Mo./DME Sports Academy) was the game's leading scorer with 27 points. He converted four shots from beyond the arc and racked up a game-high five steals.  Freshman forward DeAndre Robinson (Monroeville, Ala./Monroe County) posted 19 points, six rebounds and five assists.

The first half was neck and neck until the final two minutes. With the game tied at 27 all, the Golden Eagles scored nine-unanswered points to go into halftime with a comfortable 36-27 lead.

The Cardinals battled back in the second half, getting to within two points of Charleston with 2:38 left on the clock. Kamgain split a pair of free throws with 39 seconds to play that pulled the Wheeling Jesuit back within three at 74-71, but the Golden Eagles were able to convert six of their final seven free throws secure the win.

There was not much difference between each team's performances, except for two statistical categories. Charleston shot nearly 90 percent (17 of 19) from the free throw line, whereas Wheeling Jesuit made 65 percent (13 of 20) of its free throws. Bench points also made a difference with Charleston posting 25 to Wheeling Jesuit's seven.

The Golden Eagles had five players score in double digits. Devon Robinson came down with 14 rebounds and was a strong presence in the post throughout the contest.

The Cardinals will return home on Saturday, February 16 for an important MEC showdown with West Virginia State. Tip is set for 4 p.m.