WISE, Va. – UVa-Wise men's basketball takes on seventh-ranked Fairmont State Monday evening at 7:30 p.m. in Fairmont, West Virginia, after a 15-day break from competition for the holidays.
 
Storylines – vs. Fairmont State
The Cavaliers begin 2016 with four games on the road as UVa-Wise makes its two longest road trips of the season over the next week and a half. With a 0-4 start to Mountain East Conference play, the Cavs will look to turn things around during the main part of the league schedule.
 
UVa-Wise swept Fairmont State during the 2013-14 season with an 82-77 win in Fairmont that was followed by a 77-74 overtime win in Wise. Last year the Cavs were defeated by the Fighting Falcons both times, falling 75-62 at home and suffering a 98-54 setback on the road. Fairmont State enters Monday's contest ranked seventh in the nation by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) NCAA Division II rankings. The game will be the Cavs third against a ranked opponent this season and second consecutive after defeating then 14th-ranked King University on Dec. 20.
 
The Fighting Falcons are off to one of the best starts in program history, holding a 9-1 overall record with their lone loss coming in conference play against West Liberty (88-86) on the road. Guided by fourth-year head coach Jerrod Calhoun, Fairmont State is led by junior guard/forward Matt Bingaya who began his collegiate career at NCAA Division I Southern Mississippi. Bingaya is averaging a team-high 18.8 points per game and 6.1 rebounds per game.
 
About UVa-Wise
The Cavs are coming off of their biggest win since UVa-Wise became NCAA Division II and MEC members, a 100-87 win over rival and then 14th-ranked King University in the David J. Prior Convocation Center Dec. 20. The victory was the Cavs second of the season and first win since taking down NCAA Division III Montreat College (N.C.) at home (104-76) on Nov. 30.
 
Hitting a single-game school-record 18 three-pointers in the win over King, the Cavs shot the long ball at 51 percent (18-for-35) and dished out 26 assists on 30 made field goals. Senior forward Matt Day had a game-high 28 points and grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds on his way to MEC Co-Player of the Week honors. Redshirt freshman guard Camryn Fort had the best game of his young career, putting up a career-high 23 points on 8-of-10 shooting that included going 4-for-5 from beyond the arc. Starting guards Philip Owens II and Ricardo Hill Jr. each contributed eight assists in the victory as sophomore forward Dimitri Sousa registered 19 points and collected nine boards.
 
Day leads four Cavs averaging double-digit scoring with 20.5 points per game while collecting 11.4 rebounds per game. He is second in the MEC in rebounding and sixth in scoring.
 
Following Monday night's tilt the Cavs will travel to Shepherd University Wednesday for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.