Box Score SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – UVa-Wise men's basketball was defeated 100-83 Tuesday night on the road at Notre Dame College. The host Falcons (10-4, 4-4 MEC) got 37 points and a game-high six assists from standout player, leading scorer and starting point guard Tyree Gaiter to top the visiting Cavaliers (3-11, 1-7 MEC).
 
A strong second half by Notre Dame and poor shooting by the Cavs in the final 20 minutes resulted in the victory for the Falcons. The Cavs were outscored by 14 points in the last half and connected on only eight second-half field goals for a shooting percentage of 22.2.
 
Notre Dame sophomore forward Will Vorhees collected 10 rebounds and scored 25 points while freshman forward Ja'Sean Lewis had 15 boards and 16 points to help lead the Falcons. UVa-Wise was outrebounded 54-41 on the glass and was outscored 43-22 in points in the paint.
 
The Cavs built an early five-point lead after a jumper by sophomore guard Philip Owens II (Virginia Beach, Va.) put UVa-Wise ahead 11-6 at the 16:57 mark of the first half. The lead would be the largest of the night for the Cavs.
 
UVa-Wise maintained its advantage until the Falcons went on a 12-2 scoring run to take a six-point lead with after a three-pointer by Gaiter with 13:17 to go in the half. Down 42-35 at the 4:46 mark, the Cavs got back-to-back three-pointers from senior forward Matt Day (Buckhorn, Ky.) and redshirt freshman Lashain Matthews (Staunton, Va.) to reduce the Falcons lead to one. A Day free throw tied up the score at 45 with 2:06 to go in the half but the Cavs were not able to take back the lead and entered the break down three at 51-48.
 
Shooting the ball at 48.6 percent (18-for-37) in the opening 20 minutes, the Cavs hit eight first-half three pointers. Similarly, the Falcons shot 48.7 percent (19-for-39) in the opening half and went 9-for-10 at the free-throw line.
 
Despite six points from Day in the first four minutes of the second half, Notre Dame outscored the Cavs 14-6 to take an 11-point 65-54 lead with 15:52 left.
 
The Falcons lead was ballooned to 28 points with 7:54 to go as the Cavs only scored 13 points in the first 12 minutes of the second half. Down by 27 with 6:29 remaining, UVa-Wise went on a 10-0 scoring run over the next minute and 45 seconds to make it a 17-point 91-74 game with 4:43 left.
 
The Cavs only hit two shots from the floor in the final 4:43 as the Falcons earned the 17-point victory. UVa-Wise shot 35.6 percent (26-for-73) from the field for the game, including 33 percent (12-for-36) from beyond the arc. The Cavs made 19 of 27 free-throw attempts.
 
Notre Dame was 35-for-79 (44.3 percent) from the floor for the contest and 8-for-24 (33 percent) from distance. The Falcons shot 84.6 percent (22-for-26) from the foul line.
 
Day led the Cavs with a near double-double, scoring 22 points and grabbing nine rebounds while redshirt freshman guard Camryn Fort (Fayetteville, N.C.) finished with 21 points and six rebounds. Owens II earned 11 points and dished out four assists as Matthews hit three three-pointers to score nine points, adding to his team-high five assists.
 
The Cavs get a three-day break from competition before returning to the comforts of the David J. Prior Convocation Center Saturday for a 4 p.m. tip with the top-ranked team in the nation, West Liberty.
 
Visit uvawisecavs.com for all Cavalier men's basketball news, statistics, complete schedule and more.