(THE PICKET) — The Shepherd Rams drop to 6-9 in the mountain East conference and 11-10 overall after a 82-74 defeat Thursday at the hands of the number four ranked Wheeling Jesuit Cardinals.
Wheeling Jesuit dominated the first half, shooting nearly 50 percent and taking an early and commanding 46-33 lead into halftime. Shepherd offensively stepped up their game in the second half, more than doubling the productivity from the first half, but the Cardinals are nationally ranked for a reason. It showed as the game wore on never losing their edge or composure on the way to victory.
Sophomore guard Steffen Davis led the Rams with a game-high 22 points. He was six-of-10 from the floor, and went three-of-seven from three-point range. Davis was seven-of-seven from the foul line and added six boards.
Skyler Roman, Naim Muhammad, and Ryan McTavish each added 13 points in the defeat.
Shepherd as a team shot 43.3 percent from the floor and 38.5 percent from three-point range. The Rams drained 12-of-13 free throws for a season high 92 percent from the line. Wheeling Jesuit shot 49.2 percent from the floor while shooting 30.8 percent from beyond the arc. The Cardinals connected on 12-of-18 free throws.
Shepherd will tip off again Wednesday when national powerhouse West Liberty University comes to town. Tip off will be at 4 p.m. in the Butcher Center.