Box Score WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – UVa-Wise men's basketball was defeated 103-64 by No. 3 West Liberty Saturday evening in West Virginia. The third-ranked Hilltoppers (22-2, 16-2 MEC) used depth to beat the visiting Cavaliers (3-21, 1-17 MEC) and scored 61 second-half points.
 
Only four different Cavs scored as UVa-Wise was outscored 38-0 off the bench by the host Hilltoppers. West Liberty played 10 different players in the game and each one scored for the Hilltoppers, compared to the Cavs only having nine available who checked into the contest.
 
Seventeen turnovers by the Cavs led to 16 Hilltopper points as 13 of UVa-Wise's miscues came in the second half. The Cavs were outrebounded 47-37 and only shot 37 percent (23-for-63) from the field. UVa-Wise did make 13 three-pointers in the game after going 9-for-19 (47 percent) from distance in the second half. On the other end, the Hilltoppers shot 46 percent (31-for-67) from the floor – including 55 percent (18-for-33) in the second half – and made 14 shots from distance.
 
West Liberty did an excellent job of protecting the ball and committed no first-half turnovers as they built an 18-point 42-24 lead at the half. UVa-Wise never led in the contest and was no closer than nine points from the 12:36 mark of the opening half to the finish.
 
A three-pointer by sophomore guard Philip Owens II (Virginia Beach, Va.) cut down the Hilltoppers' lead to 17 with 16:39 remaining. West Liberty missed shots on the next two possessions but the Cavs could not chip further into the Hilltoppers' advantage as UVa-Wise committed two turnovers.
 
An 11-4 run by the Cavs made it a 14-point game at 60-46 with 12:18 to go, however, UVa-Wise would not get any closer. The Hilltoppers outscored the Cavs 26-11 over the next seven minutes to build a 29-point 86-57 advantage with only 4:58 to go.
 
UVa-Wise only scored seven points in the final five minutes of the contest as West Liberty ended the game on a 17-7 scoring run.
 
Senior forward Matt Day (Buckhorn, Ky.) led the Cavs with 25 points and 13 rebounds, while Owens II finished with 19 points and dished out a game-high seven assists. Junior transfer forward Gervelle Kidd (Martinsville, Va.) scored 12 points on 4-for-8 shooting from beyond the arc as sophomore forward Dimitri Sousa (São Paulo, Brazil) contributed eight points.
 
The Hilltoppers were led by reigning National Player of the Year Segar Bonifant with 31 points. West Liberty's Zac Grossenbacher collected 13 points and grabbed 13 boards, while Zak Kirkbride added 14 points and had 11 rebounds.
 
The Cavs will now have a five-day break from competition before beginning a three-game homestand Thursday with Notre Dame College. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. inside the David J. Prior Convocation Center.
 
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