From the opening tip, the Wheeling Jesuit men's basketball team put their foot on the accelerator and never let off the gas, controlling the scoreboard until the final buzzer sounded, with a 97-77 victory over the Seton Hill University Griffins. With the win, Jesuit improved to 14-6 overall and 10-4 in league play while the Griffins fell to 7-12 overall and 5-10 in the WVIAC.
The Cardinals started the game with a 5-0 run on a two-point jump shot from Steve Catich and a three-pointer from Recardo Gaddy. After the Griffins and Cardinals traded threes, Catich made a contested jump shot, lifting the Cards to a 14-7 advantage.
Mini scoring runs are what keyed the Cardinals first-half success. Jesuit used runs of 6-0, 5-0, and, after forcing three Seton Hill turnovers, 9-0 for a 49-30 advantage. The Griffins made the last two baskets of the half, but the Cardinals carried a 49-35 lead into the locker room.
Catich lead the way for the Cardinals in the first half with 20 points, while Gaddy chipped in 11, and Obi Ukwuoma added nine. Wheeling Jesuit shot a stellar 20-31 (64.5-percent) from the field, and the Cardinals out rebounded the Griffins 14-12 while winning the turnover battle 8-2.
The Cardinals started the second half with a 10-0 run to extend the lead to 60-35. Gaddy lead the way with eight of those points, while Marquis Moore chipped in the other two.
The Cardinals established their largest lead of the game at 37 points with a 90-53 lead at 6:53. The Griffins would chip away near the end, however, the Cardinals took home the 97-77 victory.
Ben Siefert was the floor general for the Cardinals, leading the team with 10 assists. Catich lead the way for Wheeling Jesuit with 30 points going 12-for-16 from the field, which included a 4-for-6 effort from downtown.
Gaddy had a great performance, dropping 21 points and shooting 5-for-8 from deep while maintaining a 7-for-10 effort from the floor. Ukwuoma added 12 points, with a 5-for-10 performance from the floor. Pete Brogdon came off the bench and added 10 points to the mix with an unblemished 3-for-3 showing from beyond the arc.
Jesuit controlled the boards as well, out rebounding the Griffins 33-26 and were lead by Joe Prati, Ukwouma, and Catich, who pulled down 7 boards each.
For the game, the Cardinals shot a blistering 37 –for-61 (60.7-percent) from the field compared to the Griffins 29-for-58, for a 50 percent effort.
Wheeling Jesuit will return to the Alma Grace McDonough Center on Monday, February 6 for a 7:30 p.m. showdown with the University of Pitt-Johnstown Mountain Cats.
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