WISE, Va. – UVa-Wise men's basketball continues its three-game homestand Saturday with a visit from Urbana University for a 4 p.m. tip-off.
 
Storylines – vs. Urbana University
The Cavaliers face the Blue Knights for the second time this season and sixth since joining the Mountain East Conference and making the transition into NCAA Division II. UVa-Wise is 3-2 against Urbana during that span and 1-1 versus the Blue Knights in Wise.
 
The Cavs lone MEC win of the season came at Urbana back on Jan. 10 when UVa-Wise edged the host Blue Knights 85-82. The victory was the last win for UVa-Wise this season as Urbana has remained winless in league play. Sophomore forward Dimitri Sousa scored a career-high 31 points in the Cavs win over Urbana earlier this year, while senior forward Matt Day posted a double-double with 18 points and 16 rebounds. UVa-Wise used several second-half three-pointers and late free throws, along with some crucial defensive stops to clinch the victory. The Cavs made seven second-half shots from distance but Urbana's Jackson hit a jumper with 10 seconds to go to cut the deficit to two at 84-82. Despite another steal by the Blue Knights on the following inbound pass, the Cavs found a way to get the ball back after a missed three-pointer. Redshirt sophomore Ricardo Hill Jr. closed out the game going one of two on a final trip to the free-throw line with 0.5 seconds remaining, before a three-quarters court heave at the buzzer by the Blue Knights fell well short to give the Cavs the win.
 
Currently, Urbana sits in last place in the conference standings and is on a league-worst 21-game losing streak. The Blue Knights have most recently suffered losses at home against then eighth-ranked Fairmont State (110-90) and Shepherd University (86-72), and on the road at Concord University (93-90) Thursday night.
 
About UVa-Wise
UVa-Wise will attempt to snap a season-worst 12-game losing streak Saturday against Urbana after falling 91-77 to Notre Dame College Thursday night in the David J. Prior Convocation Center.
 
The Cavs were outscored by 14 points in the second half Thursday against the Falcons as Notre Dame used strong rebounding and scoring runs to defeat UVa-Wise. After the score was tied at 33-33 at halftime, a 15-5 run by the Falcons in the first four minutes of the second half propelled the visiting team to a 10-point lead that would not be surrendered to under four points for the remainder of the night. The Cavs were led by Day who earned his 13th double-double of the season, scoring 30 points and grabbing a game-high 14 rebounds. Sophomore forward Dimitri Sousa finished with 20 points and eight boards, while junior forward Gervelle Kidd added a career-high 17 points and sophomore guard Philip Owens II distributed a game-high eight assists.
 
Following tomorrow afternoon's contest, the Cavs will wrap up their homestand with West Virginia State Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. The game will be Senior Night and senior forward Matt Day will be recognized as the Cavs' lone senior this season.