BUCKHANNON, W.Va.—The Wheeling Jesuit men’s basketball team pulled-off their second straight last minute victory on the road against a WVIAC opponent. The Cardinals used the final minutes of game to defeat West Virginia Wesleyan, 77-74, at the Rockefeller Center in Buckhannon, W.Va.
The Cardinals’ offense was led by Ben Siefert with 23 points, shooting an amazing 11-for-12 (92 percent) from the field, while adding seven assists and four rebounds. Joe Prati followed with 13 points and four rebounds, while Justin Fritts and Andre Harris poured in a dozen points apiece. Fritts added a team-high seven rebounds.
Collectively, the Cardinals shot 28-of-47 (60 percent) from the field which included a 9-for-19 (47 percent) showing from downtown, while causing 13 turnovers and recording eight steals.
The Cardinals (8-7, 4-7 WVIAC) flew to an 8-0 advantage behind two trifectas from Fritts and a pair of free throws from Prati, however, the Bobcats (8-7, 5-6 WVIAC) narrowed the margin quickly with an 8-1 run. Jesuit immediately responded with 10 unanswered points and led by as many as 11 points, 32-21, before the Bobcats made another run. Wesleyan used an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to 32-29 with 6:37 remaining in the half. Andre Harris ended the run with a layup, and the two teams traded buckets for the remainder of the half. The Cardinals held a 43-39 halftime advantage.
After the break, the Bobcats opened with an 8-2 run to take control of the scoreboard 47-45. Jesuit tied the game on the ensuing possession on a Siefert lay-in, however, the Bobcats extended the lead to 10 points, 59-49. WJU responded with an 11-3 run, shrinking the deficit to two points, 62-60. Jesuit continued to attack the Bobcats’ defense, taking control of the scoreboard 71-69 with 1:53 remaining in the game. WJU ended the game making 6-out-of-8 free throws to secure the league victory.
Noah Cottrill led the Bobcats’ offense with 25 points. Soren Dossing followed with 19 points, and T.J. Thompson notched 15 points.
Wheeling Jesuit will travel to Charleston, W.Va. on Thursday, January 24 against for a WVIAC contest against the University of Charleston. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
