WHEELING, W.Va. (March 8) - The Wheeling Jesuit University men's basketball team was knocked out of the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Tournament 100-79 by top-seed West Liberty at the WesBanco Arena Friday night.
After a 2-17 start to the 2018-19 season, the Cardinals conclude the campaign at 9-21 overall with a conference tournament win over West Virginia Wesleyan. Meanwhile, the Hilltoppers improve to 25-3 and advance to the semifinal round.
Freshman guard Franck Kamgain (Kansas City, Mo./DME Sports Academy) established a new season-high with 35 points on 12 of 21 shooting. Freshman guard Steve Cannady (Bowie, Md./St. Vincent Palotti) added 13 points and seven rebounds.
"Most teams would fold at 2-17, but these guys battled back," said Head Coach John Peckinpaugh. "It says a lot about who they are. We got really lucky with the kids we were able to bring in and we are really excited about the future."
The Cardinals were able to handle the full-court pressure from West Liberty early in the game, but were unable to execute in their half-court sets. Despite the team converting just four of its first 10 attempts, WJU only trailed the Hilltoppers 12-9 at the first media timeout.
Wheeling Jesuit had its best stretch of the game over the second five minutes. The Cardinals went on a 10-1 run, capped off by a steal and layup by Kamgain, to take a 19-13 lead and force a West Liberty timeout with 10:57 to play in the first half.
After struggling from the field for the majority of the first half, West Liberty started to find its rhythm and outscored WJU 30-10 over the final 10 minutes of the second half to take a 43-29 lead into halftime.
Wheeling Jesuit was unable to take advantage of the slow start for the high-powered West Liberty offense. The Cardinals shot 13 of 38 (34 percent), including just 1-of-12 from long range, in the first half.
West Liberty found its shot and turned up the pressure in the second half. After the Cardinals only committed four turnovers in the first half, the Hilltoppers managed to force 12 takeaways and knock down 21 of 45 (47 percent) attempts. West Liberty led by as many as 37 in the second half, before calling off the dogs and securing the 21-point win over the young Cardinals.
West Liberty only finished with a 51 to 46 edge on the glass, but collected 24 offensive rebounds that led to 34 second-chance points.
Hilltopper guard Yahel Hill, who went scoreless in the first half, led West Liberty with 18 points, while Will Yoakum registered a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
"I'm proud of the way our group has fought all year," added Peckinpaugh. We have a bright future with these young guys. We're going to be really good if we keep working."
