CHARLESTON, W.Va. - - UVa-Wise was ousted by Wheeling Jesuit University in the quarterfinals of the Mountain East Conference Tournament on Friday afternoon, 72-58.

Down 46-28 at the half, the Cavaliers would go on a 17-5 run to cut the Cardinals lead to six, 51-45 with 15:21 on the clock. UVa-Wise would not be able to complete the comeback as the Cavaliers were outrebounded 55-28 on the day.

Wheeling came out strong offensively in the first half taking an early 15-7 lead over the Cavs behind a 3-pointer by Jeremiah Wilson with 15:25 to go.

A layup by sophomore point guard Michal Seals off of a steal by senior Ricardo Hill, Jr. would put the Cavs down 15-13 at 14:46.  Sophomore forward Yesid Mosquera-Perea would get a layup to tie the game up before a pair of free throws by Hill gave the Cavs their first lead of the game 17-15 at the 13:52 mark.

Wheeling would retake the lead and go up by 11 points, 34-23, with just over five minutes to play in the first half. The Cardinals would extend their advantage to 46-28 heading into the half.

The Cardinals finished the opening half shooting 45 percent from the floor led by Preston Boswell who had 12 followed by Haywood Highsmith and Ryan Cooper who both posted 10 points in the first half.

The Cavaliers struggled form the floor in the first, shooting just 31.3 percent from the field with Mosquera-Perea and Hill Jr. leading the pack with seven points apiece while Seals and senior forward Taiwo Badmus both had six points to start.

Badmus would connect on three consecutive 3-pointers to put the Cavs down by 11, 48-37, to start the second half. Back-to-back layups by sophomore guard Chance Sheffey and Seals followed by a Sheffey jumper would put UVa-Wise within six, 51-45, with 15:21 to go.

Wheeling would sustain the lead, extending it to double-digits, 62-48, with 8:34 left in regulation. The Cardinals would go up 19 points, 67-48, with just over four minutes to go.

A dunk by Badmus would put the Cavs down just 12 points, 70-58, with 1:22 to play. Wheeling's dominance on the boards and inside the paint would prove to be too much for the Cavs as they concluded their tournament run falling to the Cardinals, 72-58.

UVa-Wise finished the game shooting 32.3 percent (21-for-65) from the floor. The Cavs were led in scoring by Badmus who had a double-double of 22 points and 13 rebounds. Seals and Mosquera-Perea both netted 10 points In the win, with Seals adding six rebounds and five assists. Hill Jr. had seven points while Sheffey finished with six points in the loss.

UVa-Wise wraps up its season with the loss and will return to action next year for their 2018-19 campaign.