Box Score WISE, Va. – West Virginia State freshman guard Ernest Jenkins Jr. hit a pair of free throws with 0.2 seconds left to upend UVa-Wise men's basketball 78-76 Tuesday night in the David J. Prior Convocation Center. The visiting Yellow Jackets (2-2, 1-1 MEC) ruined the Cavaliers' (1-4, 0-2 MEC) home opener after a wild finish to an UVa-Wise comeback bid.
 
The Cavs rallied from a 10-point, second-half deficit and took a one-point lead with six minutes remaining after a pair of foul shots from redshirt sophomore forward Dimitri Sousa (São Paulo, Brazil). However, UVa-Wise would have to put together another furious comeback late in the game as the Cavs found themselves down by seven (74-67) with 3:20 to go. A 9-2 run by UVa-Wise, capped by a mid-range jumper from freshman point guard Michal Seals (Lancaster, Pa.), tied up the score at 76-76 with 36 ticks left on the clock.
 
On the ensuing possession, the Yellow Jackets' Ernest Jenkins Jr. missed a 3-pointer as Sousa fought for the rebound and the Cavs came away with it after a jump ball. With under four seconds remaining, UVa-Wise called a timeout to draw up a quick game-winning shot. West Virginia State never gave the Cavs the chance as Ernest Jenkins Jr. stole Sousa's inbound pass and launched a 3-pointer with 0.2 seconds on the clock. Jenkins Jr.'s shot was off the mark but a foul was called on the 3-point attempt, sending him to the line for three chances to clinch a Yellow Jacket victory. The freshman guard's first foul shot found the bottom of the net and so did the third, giving West Virginia State an inevitable 78-76 lead. With only 0.2 seconds remaining, junior guard Ricardo Hill Jr. (Cincinnati, Ohio) didn't even get a half-court heave off in time as the final buzzer sounded.
 
UVa-Wise began the game with an early 5-0 lead after a layup from Seals and a 3-pointer by Hill Jr. The Cavs extended their advantage to six at 9-3 two and a half minutes into the game after a pair of electrifying dunks by redshirt junior forward Taiwo Badmus (London, England) and sophomore forward Leandro Amador (São Paulo, Brazil). That would be UVa-Wise's largest lead of the game as West Virginia State went on a 10-2 run over the next three and a half minutes of play to go up 13-11. The Cavs retook the lead and extended it to four at 26-22 after a pair of Amador free throws, but the Yellow Jackets outscored UVa-Wise 12-7 over the final five minutes to take a 41-36 lead into the half.
 
The Cavs went 14-of-38 (36.8 percent) from the field in the first 20 minutes of play and were outrebounded 23-18. Despite Sousa having 10 first-half points and Amador scoring seven, UVa-Wise was dominated down low 28-20. West Virginia State shot 45.5 percent (15-of-33) in the opening half and went 11-of-13 at the charity stripe as Jayson Hankins scored 12 first-half points and grabbed seven rebounds.
 
UVa-Wise shot 52 percent (13-of-25) in the second half compared to just 38.2 percent (13-of-34) by the visiting Yellow Jackets but were unable to control the boards. West Virginia State outrebounded the Cavs by a margin of five for the game and outscored UVa-Wise 44-36 in points in the paint. The Yellow Jackets also got 14 fast break points and went 19-of-23 at the free-throw line. UVa-Wise went 16-of-20 at the line but missed some key foul shots late. Neither team shot the ball well from long range, the Cavs going 6-of-23 (26.1 percent) and the Yellow Jackets going 3-of-19 (15.8 percent). However, West Virginia State was fouled in the act of shooting three other 3-pointers. The Cavs finished the game going 42.9 percent (27-of-63) from the field overall, while the Yellow Jackets went 41.8 percent (28-of-67) from the floor.
 
Sousa led the Cavs with 24 points as Seals dished in 16 points, five rebounds and five assists. Seals scored the UVa-Wise's final six points of the game in the final two minutes of play. Junior guard DeMarcus Edwards (Washington, D.C.) and freshman guard Chance Sheffey (Staunton, Va.) provided a big spark off the bench, each scoring nine points. Edwards also collected five boards and went 3-of-5 from 3-point land, two of his long-range shots coming on consecutive possessions to spark UVa-Wise's initial comeback. Amador finished with seven points and six rebounds, while Badmus earned a team-high eight boards.
 
West Virginia State had five different players score in double figures led by Hankins with 16, followed by sophomore point guard Brent Bauer with 15, DeQuan Doyle and Ernest Jenkins Jr. with 13 apiece and Tyrie Elliott with 11. Bauer also dished out a game-high eight assists as Hankins brought down a team-high eight rebounds. Terrance Jenkins posted eight points and seven boards for the Yellow Jackets.
 
The Cavs will have four days off from competition for the Thanksgiving holiday before returning to game action. UVa-Wise continues its three-game homestand Saturday by hosting second-ranked Lincoln Memorial University at 4 p.m.
 
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