WISE, Va. – UVa-Wise takes on its first ranked opponent of the season Saturday afternoon when the Cavaliers host No. 12 Lincoln Memorial University inside the David J. Prior Convocation Center for a 4 p.m. tipoff.
 
The 12th-ranked Railsplitters have lost two back-to-back games for the first time since February of 2012 and enter Saturday's contest after most recently dropping an overtime heartbreaker at Carson-Newman University this past Tuesday night. Lincoln Memorial saw Carson-Newman's Malik Abraham drain a deep jumper with 0.9 second left in OT to give the host Eagles the win in both teams' South Atlantic Conference opener. The loss ended the Railsplitters' 29-game regular-season SAC winning streak. Lincoln Memorial also lost to then No. 5 Alabama Huntsville 91-67 last Saturday in a neutral-site game.
 
The Cavs took on Carson-Newman on the road back on Nov. 16 and also fell in overtime (96-91). Interesting enough, the Eagles' Abraham hit a big shot in that game as well, nailing a deep 3-pointer with 35 seconds left in regulation to send the game into OT. Last season, UVa-Wise was defeated by Lincoln Memorial 114-69. The Cavs last victory over the Railsplitters came on Dec. 8, 2012, when UVa-Wise won an 81-80 overtime thriller in the Prior Center.
 
Lincoln Memorial is the reigning NCAA Division II national runner up after advancing all the way to the 2016 national title game before bowing out to Augustana (90-81) in the national title game.
 
UVa-Wise is trying to shake off an inconceivable Mountain East Conference loss to West Virginia State this past Monday in the Cavs' home opener. The Yellow Jackets stole a 78-76 win inside the Prior Center after West Virginia State freshman guard Ernest Jenkins Jr. hit a pair of free throws with 0.2 seconds left to seal the visiting team victory. With under four seconds to play and tied at 76-76, Jenkins Jr. stole redshirt sophomore forward Dimitri Sousa's (São Paulo, Brazil) inbound pass and launched a 3-pointer. His shot attempt was off the mark but a foul was called, sending Jenkins Jr. to the free-throw line for three chances to win the game.
 
Close affairs have been the name of the game for UVa-Wise here early in the season as the Cavs have already played two overtime games and two of their four losses have been decided by five points or less.
 
Sousa is averaging a team-leading 22.4 points per game but UVa-Wise will need more contributions from redshirt junior forward Taiwo Badmus (London, England), who has averaged 11.5 points and 7.5 rebounds the last two games after averaging 24.3 points and 14 rebounds in the first three contests of the season. Three different Cavs are shooting the ball at over 50 percent from the field, including freshman guard Chance Sheffey (Staunton, Va.) (.537), Sousa (.529) and Badmus (.516).
 
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