Box Score INSTITUTE, W.Va. – UVa-Wise men's basketball was defeated 88-77 by Virginia Union University Saturday afternoon in Institute, West Virginia, at West Virginia State's Earl Lloyd Classic. Despite four different players scoring in double figures, the Cavaliers (0-2) were unable to stop a 50-36 second-half surge by the Panthers (2-0), who are receiving votes in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) NCAA Division II top-25 poll.
 
UVa-Wise led for the majority of the first half despite the two teams staying within three points of each other in the final 10 minutes. The Cavs took a 41-38 lead into halftime after shooting 48.5 percent (16-of-33) as a team in the opening 20 minutes of play. Redshirt junior forward Taiwo Badmus (London, England) led all scorers at the break with 13 points as sophomore Dimitri Sousa forward (São Paulo, Brazil) and freshman guard had 11 and 10 first-half points respectively.
 
The Cavs were able to keep the Panthers to shooting 37.5 percent (15-of-40) in the opening half and contain first-team All-American guard Ray Anderson to nine first-half points. However, preseason All-Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association selection Tavon Mealy put up 12 points and eight boards in the first 20 minutes of play.
 
A 10-2 run by Virginia Union capped by a layup from Jordan White, put the Panthers ahead 55-49 around the 14-minute mark of the second half. It would be a lead Virginia Union would not relinquish for the remainder of the game. Over the next 11 minutes of play, the Panthers outscored the Cavs 20-14 to increase their lead to 12 at 75-63 with just under 3:30 to play.
 
Down by 15 with two minutes to go, UVa-Wise went on an 8-0 run over the next minute in large part to four points and a steal from freshman point guard Michal Seals (Lancaster, Pa.). Trailing 82-75 with a minute to remaining, the Cavs were able to hit only one shot as Virginia Union made four free throws down the stretch to seal the 88-77 win.
 
UVa-Wise shot the ball at 43.3 percent (26-of-60) from the field and hit 24-of-25 (96 percent) free throws, including 16-of-16 in the second half, but were 1-for-13 from beyond the arc. The Cavs made only 10 shots in the second half and were outrebounded 45-32.
 
Virginia Union shot 45.9 percent (34-of-74) from the floor and went 5-of-13 (38.5 percent) from downtown and 15-of-17 (88.2 percent) from the charity stripe. The Panthers shot the ball extremely well in the second half, going 19-for-34 (55.9 percent) overall and 2-for-2 from 3-point land. Outscoring UVa-Wise 50-46 in points in the paint, Virginia Union's bench claimed 34 points compared to just 20 from the Cavalier reserves.
 
Sousa led all UVa-Wise scorers with 21 points, going 9-for-15 from the field and grabbing five rebounds. Freshman guard Chance Sheffey (Staunton, Va.) was the only UVa-Wise player to score off the bench but he went 5-for-10 from the floor and was a perfect 10-for-10 at the free-throw line, tallying 20 points and four assists in 28 minutes of action. Badmus finished with 17 points and a team-high eight rebounds, while Seals netted his second-straight double-figure game with 12 points on 6-for-6 shooting at the foul line. Seals also dished out four assists and made four steals as junior guard Ricardo Hill Jr. (Cincinnati, Ohio) earned three steals and four points.
 
Anderson finished with 23 points on 6-for-11 shooting for Virginia Union and Mealy grabbed 12 rebounds and posted 18 points. The Panthers also got a double-dobule of 13 points and 11 rebounds from William Jenkins. James Paige added nine points and three assists in Virginia Union's win, while Anderson dished out a team-high four assists and John Mitchell claimed seven boards.
 
The Cavs will remain on the road next week with a trip to Jefferson City, Tennessee, for a Wednesday night matchup against Carson-Newman University out of the South Atlantic Conference. Game time is slated for 7:30 p.m.
 
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