WEST LIBERTY - The more than 1,500 fans that attended West Liberty's ASRC on Saturday expected to see another tightly contested battle between the No. 3-ranked Hilltoppers and Wheeling Jesuit. <\/p>\n
What they got was a 25-point blowout as Jesuit made the trek back down Route 88 after dropping a 101-76 decision. <\/p>\n
The difference between this game and the five-point Hilltopper victory on Jesuit's campus a month ago? <\/p>\n
Photo by Matt Watson <\/p>\n
West Liberty guard Tim Hausfeld shoots a deep 3-pointer as Wheeling Jesuit defender Recardo Gaddy gets a hand up. <\/p>\n
''They play better at home,'' Cardinals coach Danny Sancomb said. ''Most teams do.'' <\/p>\n
The West Virgina Conference champions led by double digits for the majority of the second half and three Hilltoppers finished with double-doubles as West Liberty coasted to a victory against county rival Wheeling Jesuit in a mutual regular-season closer. <\/p>\n
''We just didn't play particularly well,'' Sancomb said. ''West Liberty did a good job, of course, but we kind of ran out of gas in the second half. With our double-overtime win Thursday against Charleston, we weren't very sharp (Saturday), even a little bit sluggish for a game in this atmosphere.'' <\/p>\n
The Cardinals (17-9 overall, 14-8 WVC) had not lost since falling to West Liberty on Jan. 26 and brought an eight-game winning streak into Saturday's contest against the newly minted four-time champs, who boasted a 12-game roll of their own. <\/p>\n
After trading baskets to begin the game, the Hilltoppers (27-1, 21-1) used a 17-6 run capped by an Alex Falk layup that the senior All-American made almost lying on his back. Following the ensuing free throw, WLU led 23-14, however, after a 1-and-1 by Justin Fritts, the score was tied at 34-34 with 2:22 remaining in the half. <\/p>\n
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West Liberty Men Keep Pedal Down<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" WEST LIBERTY - The more than 1,500 fans that attended West Liberty's ASRC on Saturday expected to see another tightly contested battle between the No. 3-ranked Hilltoppers and Wheeling Jesuit. What they got was a 25-point blowout as Jesuit made the trek back down Route 88 after dropping a 101-76 decision Continue reading