Box Score ATHENS, W.Va. – UVa-Wise men's basketball was defeated 79-69 by Concord University Saturday afternoon on the road in the two teams' regular season finale. The Cavaliers (4-24, 2-20 MEC) matched the Mountain Lions (19-9, 14-8 MEC) in the second half as each team scored 34 points but could not come back from a 45-35 halftime deficit.
 
Concord shot 59 percent (17-for-29) in the first half, including 60 percent (9-for-17) from three-point distance, and outscored the Cavs 23-2 in fast break points. Seventeen Cavalier turnovers led to 24 points for the Mountain Lions as UVa-Wise was outplayed down low with Concord scoring 45 points in the paint, compared to only 14 by the Cavs.
 
The Mountain Lions jumped out to an early 15-point 19-4 lead at the first media timeout and extended their lead to 18 after a three-pointer by Concord senior guard Rob Reed. The 25-7 Mountain Lion lead with 12:27 to go in the half was Concord's largest of the night.
 
UVa-Wise would outscore the Mountain Lions 15-8 over the next seven and a half minutes to reduce Concord's advantage to 11 with 4:58 remaining in the half. The Cavs continued to chip away at Concord's lead and made it a six-point game at 38-32 with 2:10 left in the first half. However, that would be as close as UVa-Wise would get in the half as the Mountain Lions made two jumpers before the break to take a 10-point lead into the locker room.
 
The Cavs only made 11 first-half field goals, eight of which were from three-point distance.
 
A three-pointer by sophomore forward Dimitri Sousa (São Paulo, Brazil) and two free throws by senior forward Matt Day gave the Cavs a 5-0 run to open the second half and cut the Mountain Lions' lead to 45-40. It took Concord almost four minutes to score in the second half but a layup by Reed ignited a 7-0 Mountain Lion scoring run.
 
Concord extended its lead to 17 at 62-45 with 12:16 to go after a Reed three. A 6-0 run by the Cavs after three-pointers by sophomore guard Demarcus Edwards (Mount Vernon, Va.) and Day cut the deficit down to 10 with 7:04 left. The Mountain Lions responded with a 7-0 run over the next minute and a half and tied their largest lead of the night moments later at 77-59 with only 4:32 remaining.
 
UVa-Wise outscored Concord 10-2 over the final four and a half minutes of the game but it was too little, too late for the Cavs as the Mountains Lions claimed the 10-point victory.
 
Sousa led the Cavs with 21 points, while Day registered 19 points and claimed 10 rebounds for his 16th double-double of the season. Sophomore guard Philip Owens II (Virginia Beach, Va.) continued his fine play as he scored 12 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out four assists.
 
Reed led Concord with 32 points and four assists, while Aaron Miller finished with 13 points and Terry Hopewell claimed 11 points and nine rebounds.
 
The Cavs have secured the 11th-seed in next week's Mountain East Conference Tournament and will travel to South Euclid, Ohio, to take on 6th-seeded Notre Dame College Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in the first round.
 
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