WHEELING, W.Va. (Feb. 16) - Led by five players in double-figures, the Wheeling Jesuit men's basketball team recorded its fourth win in five games with a 91-81 victory over West Virginia State Saturday evening inside the McDonough Center.

The Cardinals improve to 6-18 overall, 5-13 in the Mountain East Conference (MEC). The Cardinals are currently tied with Glenville State for ninth place in the league standings heading into the final two weeks of the regular-season. Meanwhile, the Yellow Jackets fall to 12-12 overall, 9-9 in the MEC.

Freshman forward Tariq Woody (Canton, Mich./Novi) registered a double-double with a season-high 28 points and 10 rebounds in the win. Woody was 13 of 14 from the field and dominated the paint throughout the game. Freshman guard Steve Cannady (Bowie, Md./St. Vincent Palotti) posted a balanced line with 21 points (7 of 11) with eight rebounds and eight assists in the win.

Both freshmen DeAndre Robinson (Monroeville, Ala./Monroe County) and Franck Kamgain (Kansas City, Mo./DME Sports Academy) recorded 12 points, while senior guard Miguel Rodriquez (Brooklyn, N.Y./Xavier) added 11 points. Robinson also added seven rebounds and four assists to his final line.

The Cardinals could not be stopped in the first half. WJU opened the game with a 27-6 lead through the first 12 minutes of the game and limited West Virginia State to 3-of-14 (21 percent) shooting during the run. Wheeling Jesuit continued to add to its lead, taking a 42-13 lead into the final minute, before six-straight points by West Virginia State brought the score to 42-19 at the half.

WJU shot 17 of 29 (59 percent) from the field and out-rebounded the West Virginia State 23 to 10 during the first half.

The Yellow Jackets came out of the locker rooms with a new defensive mindset in the second half. West Virginia State's full-court pressure gave the Cardinals issues and allowed easy baskets for the Yellow Jackets. West Virginia State out-scored WJU 25-10 over the first eight minutes of the second half to draw within single-digits at 52-44.

Wheeling Jesuit managed to navigate the press and build its lead back to 14, 64-50, with 9:26 left in the game. West Virginia State got as close as seven, 69-62, following a tip-in with 6:16 remaining in the game, but the Cardinals went on to out-score the Yellow Jackets 21-9 over the ensuing five minutes to build up a 90-71 lead entering the final minute. West Virginia State continued to full-court press in garbage time and drew within 10 points, before the clock ran out.

The Cardinals finished the game shooting 31 of 53 (59 percent) and held a 38 to 27 advantage on the glass.

The full-court pressure caused Wheeling Jesuit to commit 20 turnovers in the game; the second-most in a game this season. The Cardinals turned the ball over 26 times last month at West Virginia State in a 102-89 road loss.

Pat Johnson-Agwu led the Yellow Jackets with 26 points in the loss.

The Cardinals have a pivotal MEC showdown coming up on Wednesday, February 20 when WJU takes on Glenville State. The game, which was originally slated to be played on Thursday, February 21, will still tip off around 7:30 p.m.