Jesuit Men Knock Off #1 WV State

Charleston, WV, March 5,2009---Wheeling Jesuit slowed down West Virginia State's high-powered attack enough to post an 84-75 stunner in a WVIAC Men's Basketball Tournament quarterfinal.  The Cardinals used a 31-12 run midway through the second half to take control as State became the first WVIAC Tournament regular season champion to fall in the tournament quarterfinals since 1997.

State led 45-36 on Kenny Carter's jumper with 18:01 left in the game, but it was all Cardinals from that point.  WJU finally drew even at 50-all on a Maqsood Harrington three-pointer at the 12:00 mark.

Wheeling Jesuit assumed the lead for good on Cedric Harris' trifecta that sparked a 13-2 Cardinal run.  The lead would eventually grow to 77-63 in the final minute.

The Jackets, who scored a tournament record 126 points in the opening round win over Ohio Valley, would not die easily.  Jason Emerson connected on back-to-back threes to pull State within 78-72 with only 23 seconds remaining.

However, Maqsood Harrington and Marquis Moore combined to hit six straight free throws to put the shocker on ice for the Cardinals.

"It's never over with State," said winning coach Danny Sancomb.  "We made foul shots down the stretch and handled the ball well.  We played very well, State's a great team."

State owned advantages of as many as nine points in the first half before Jesuit scored the final four points of the period to close within 39-34.

WJU shot 53 percent from the field and owned a 42-37 rebounding edge in the victory.  The Cardinals also hit on 25 of 32 free throws.  West Virginia State suffered their second worst shooting night of the season at 36.7 percent.  The Jackets also hoisted 42 three-pointers, making 13.

"Wheeling deserved to win the game," said WVSU head coach Bryan Poore.  "They outplayed us in every phase of the game.  That was about as difficult of a performance that I've had to endure for a long time.  We shot 42 threes.  Granted, some were in the last minute, but that's still too many.  We were tentative, they were aggressive.  They played to win, we played not to lose.  Everyone should be talking about Wheeling tonight, they won the game."

West Virginia State, which fell to 24-5 and saw an 18-game win streak end, is still expected to earn an at-large bid to next week's NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional.  14-15 Wheeling Jesuit will play either Pitt Johnstown or Glenville State in Friday's 8:30 p.m. semifinal.

WVIAC Men's Basketball Tournament
March 3-7, 2009

First Round---Tuesday, March 3 at campus sites
G1: #9 Wheeling Jesuit 89, #8 WV Wesleyan 79
G2: #7 Shepherd 77, #10 Concord 76
G3: #6 Fairmont State 77, #11 Charleston 61
G4: #5 Glenville State 77, #12 Seton Hill 65
G5: #4 Pitt Johnstown 89, #13 Davis & Elkins 72
G6: #3 West Liberty 117, #14 Bluefield State 87
G7: #2 Alderson-Broaddus 99, #15 Salem International 56
G8: #1 WV State 126, #16 Ohio Valley 83

Quarterfinals---Thursday, March 5 at Charleston Civic Center
G9: West Liberty 96, Fairmont State 93
G10: Alderson-Broaddus 87, Shepherd 61
G11: Wheeling Jesuit 84, WV State 75
G12: Glenville State (20-8) vs. Pitt Johnstown (21-7) 8:30 p.m.

Semifinals---Friday, March 6 at Charleston Civic Center
G13: West Liberty (23-6) vs. Alderson-Broaddus (25-4) 6:30 p.m.
G14: Wheeling Jesuit (14-15) vs. Winner G12 8:30 p.m.

Championship---Saturday, March 7 at Charleston Civic Center
G15: Winner G13 vs. Winner G14 8:30 p.m.