WISE, Va. – UVa-Wise continues its four-game road trip Thursday night by traveling to Wheeling, West Virginia, for a 7:30 p.m. matchup with second-ranked Wheeling Jesuit University.
 
Storylines – at No. 2 Wheeling Jesuit University
The Cavaliers take on the second-ranked Cardinals for the second time in less than a month, having faced Wheeling Jesuit in Wise on Jan. 16. UVa-Wise was defeated 96-77 in that contest against the then 24th-ranked Cardinals. The Cavs did hold a nine-point 28-19 lead at the 10:15 mark of the first half, however, that was the largest lead of the night for the Cavs as they saw their lead quickly diminish over the next five minutes of play. A six and a half minute scoring drought compared to 16 straight points by the visiting Cardinals, gave Wheeling Jesuit a seven-point 35-28 lead that they would not give up for the rest of the game.
 
Encouragingly, in the two teams' first meeting UVa-Wise opened up the game shooting the ball at 63 percent (10-for-16), including 67 percent (6-for-9) from distance. Sophomore forward Dimitri Sousa led all Cavs with a game-high 30 points, only one point shy of his career-high, and seven rebounds. Sousa began the game going 5-for-5 from the field, including 4-for-4 from beyond the arc, and finished the game at 10-for-13 on field goals, 6-for-9 from downtown. Senior forward Matt Day scored 22 points in the loss and made a career-high tying 12 free-throws.
 
Thursday night's game will be the seventh time this season the Cavs have faced a nationally ranked opponent as Wheeling Jesuit is ranked No. 2 in the nation according to the most recent National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) NCAA Division II poll. It will be the second time this year UVa-Wise has taken on the second-best team in the nation, the Cavs lost to then second-ranked Fairmont State 98-76 in UVa-Wise's last home game on Jan. 30. Additionally, tomorrow's contest marks the third time the Cavs have faced an opponent ranked in the top two nationally, UVa-Wise lost a 99-69 affair to then No. 1 West Liberty in Wise on Jan. 16.
 
Currently, Wheeling Jesuit is on a 17-game win streak and sits atop the Mountain East Conference standings with a 15-1 league mark. The Cardinals last and only loss came on the road at then eighth-ranked Fairmont State (94-91).
 
About UVa-Wise
UVa-Wise is trying to snap a nine-game losing streak after suffering a 79-65 loss at West Virginia Wesleyan this past Saturday. Sousa led the Cavs with 24 points while Day earned 22 points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds. Sophomore guard Phillip Owens II dished out a career-high 12 assists but was scoreless in the loss.
 
Day needs only seven more points to move into seventh place on UVa-Wise's all-time scoring list, the senior currently sits in tenth place with 1,430 career points.
 
Following Thursday night's game, the Cavs finish up their four-game road trip with a visit to third-ranked West Liberty Saturday for a 4 p.m. tip-off.