SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va.  –  Senior forward Winston Burgess (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) scored 29 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead Shepherd University (6-3, 3-3 MEC) to an 81-74 win over Wheeling Jesuit (0-9, 0-6 MEC) in MEC men's basketball action at the Butcher Center on Saturday.

Burgess hit on 10-of-14 shots with a 9-of-13 effort from the line.

Junior guard Thomas Lang (New Market, Md./Linganore) added 16 points and a game-high six assists, while senior guard Derek McKnight (Teaneck, NJ/Gaston (N.C.) Day School/Louisburg CC) had 15 points, three assists, and three steals. Freshman guard Jon Preston (Brandywine, Md./Rock Creek Christian) contributed eight points, five boards, and  a game-high four steals.

Brendan Hoban scored 24 points to lead the Cardinals. Jay Gentry added 13 points and Franck Kamgain tossed in 12.

Shepherd had a 36-33 lead at the break behind 16 first-half points from Burgess.

The Rams led by as many as 13 points at 69-56 after a layup by sophomore guard Cam Stephens (Bunker Hill, W.Va./Musselman) with 5:31 remaining in the game. Wheeling Jesuit rallied to within six points at 77-71 after a three-pointer by Hoban with 51 seconds remaining, but Shepherd hit 4-of-4 free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.

Shepherd connected on 53.7 percent (29-54) from the floor with a 16.7 percent (3-18) performance from beyond the arc for the game. The Rams hit on 64.5 percent (20-31) of their free throws.

Wheeling Jesuit shot 45.6 percent (26-57) from the floor with a 36.7 percent effort (11-30) from three-point range. The Cardinals shot 84.6 percent (11-13) from the charity stripe.

Shepherd had a 32-28 edge in rebounding. The Rams forced 13 turnovers and committed 18.

The Rams return to action on Dec. 17 when they host Holy Family for a 5 p.m. contest.