WISE, Va. – UVa-Wise returns to the comforts of the David J. Prior Convocation Center Thursday night for a 7:30 p.m. game against Notre Dame College, which begins a three-game homestand.
 
Storylines – Vs. Notre Dame College
The Cavaliers take on the Falcons of Notre Dame College for the second time this season. The two teams met back on Jan. 12 in South Euclid, Ohio, where Notre Dame College handed UVa-Wise a 100-83 loss. In that game the host Falcons got a game-high 37 points and six assists from returning All-Mountain East Conference Second Team selection and starting point guard Tyree Gaiter. NDC also got 25 points and 10 rebounds from sophomore forward Will Vorhees as the Falcons used a strong second half to top the Cavs. The Falcons outscored the Cavs by 14 points (49-35) in the final 20 minutes of play as UVa-Wise shot poorly and connected on only eight second-half field goals for a shooting percentage of just 22. The Cavs were down by just three (51-48) at halftime after a high-scoring first half. Senior forward Matt Day led the Cavs in the contest with a near double-double of 22 points and nine rebounds. Redshirt freshman guard Camyrn Fort finished with 21 points and grabbed six boards, while sophomore guard Philip Owens II earned 11 points of his own.
 
Currently, NDC is tied with the University of Charleston for fifth place in the MEC standings with a 10-8 league record. The Falcons are on a two-game slide after suffering home defeats to Shepherd University (108-94) and then No. 8 Fairmont State (100-84). NDC is 6-3 overall this year on the road with all three losses coming against ranked opponents in Wheeling Jesuit University, Fairmont State and West Liberty University.
 
Gaiter leads the Falcons with 23.7 points per game and 6.9 assists per game. Vorhees is not too far behind, averaging 20.8 points per game and a team-high 10 rebounds per game. The Falcons' Vorhees and the Cavs' Day (10.6 rpg) are two of the top rebounders in the MEC and nationally.
 
About UVa-Wise
UVa-Wise will face an opponent who is not ranked in the top three nationally for the first time in nearly two weeks having faced No. 2 Wheeling Jesuit and No. 3 West Liberty last week. The Cavs will be trying to snap an 11-game losing after most recently enduring a setback at No. 3 West Liberty (103-64) this past Saturday. Day led the Cavs in the road contest with his 12th double-double of the season, scoring 25 points and collecting 13 rebounds. Owens II finished with 19 points and dished out a game-high seven assists.
 
Day ranks in the top-12 nationally in four different categories including defensive rebounds per game (3rd), rebounds per game (8th), total rebounds (9th) and double-doubles (12th).
 
Following Thursday night's contest, the Cavs will continue their three-game homestand Saturday when they host Urbana University at 4 p.m.