Box Score WISE, Va. – UVa-Wise men's basketball dropped a 98-76 decision to the second-ranked team in the nation Saturday evening in the David J. Prior Convocation Center. The Cavaliers (3-17, 1-13 MEC) never fell behind more than 25 points against No. 2 Fairmont State but led for only one minute and forty seconds the entire game.
 
The Fighting Falcons (19-1, 13-1 MEC) showed why they are ranked second in the nation according to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) with a 47-29 rebounding edge over UVa-Wise. Twelve different players scored for visiting Fairmont State as they outscored the host Cavs by 20 points in the first half.
 
UVa-Wise kept up with Fairmont State the first five minutes of the game, owning a one-point 9-8 lead at the first media timeout with 14:52 left in the opening half. However, things changed quickly in the Prior Center as the Fighting Falcons went on a 14-0 scoring run over the next five minutes of play. Fairmont State's run stretched to 19-2 as UVa-Wise found themselves down 27-11 with 8:35 remaining in the half.
 
An 11-0 run gave the Fighting Falcons a 25-point lead for their largest of the night at 40-15 with 3:26 to go in the half. In fact, the Cavs only scored six points during nearly a 12 minute stretch of play from the 15:03 mark of the first half to 3:13 left. The Cavs scored nine points in the final few minutes of the opening half to enter the locker room down 44-24.
 
Fairmont State shot 42 percent (15-for-36) in the first half and went 6-for-12 (50 percent) from beyond the arc. The Fighting Falcons forced 12 Cavalier turnovers in the first 20 minutes of play and scored 18 points off of those miscues. The Cavs shot the ball at only 30 percent (8-for-27) for the first half and were 0-for-7 from outside.
 
Both teams increased their offense in the second half with the Cavs and the Fighting Falcons each scoring more than 50 points. Thirty-three total points had been scored at the first media timeout of the second half but Fairmont State still led UVa-Wise 61-40 with 14:41 to go.
 
UVa-Wise could not get any closer than 17 points for the rest of the game but was only outscored 54-52 by the Fighting Falcons in the second half. The Cavs only committed three second-half turnovers but were outrebounded 24-11. Fairmont State grabbed 12 offensive boards in the second half that led to 18 second-chance points.
 
The Cavs shot an impressive 61 percent (17-for-28) in the second half and were 7-for-12 (58 percent) from downtown to finish the game at 46 percent (25-for-55). UVa-Wise was 86 percent (19-for-22) at the free-throw line as the Fighting Falcons shot 56 percent (22-for-39) in the second half and were 8-for-19 (42 percent) from three-point land. Fairmont State finished the game at 49 percent (37-for-75) and made 14 three-pointers on 31 attempts (45 percent).
 
Senior forward Matt Day (Buckhorn, Ky.) led the Cavs with another near double-double performance, scoring a game-high 23 points on 10-for-16 shooting and grabbing nine rebounds. Sophomore guard Philip Owens II (Virginia Beach, Va.) collected 15 points and dished out four assists, while junior transfer forward Gervelle Kidd (Martinsville, Va.) had 12 points. Freshman forward Zack McDaniel (Bowling Green, Ky.) knocked down six of seven free-throws on his way to a career-high 10 points as he also added four rebounds.
 
Matt Bingaya led Fairmont State with 17 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, while Jamel Morris finished with 13 points and five boards. The Fighting Falcons' Vonte Montgomery scored 12 points as R.J. Hutcherson earned 11 and Caleb Davis eight. Davis also grabbed eight rebounds and Jason Jolly of Fairmont State had a game-high six assists.

The Cavs will now embark on a four-game road trip starting with a trip to Glenville, West Virginia, to take on the Pioneers of Glenville State Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
 
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