Box Score WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – UVa-Wise men's basketball suffered a 98-71 Mountain East Conference loss at fourth-ranked West Liberty University Saturday evening after the Hilltoppers (14-1, 8-1 MEC) shot a blistering 59.5 percent (22-of-37) in the second half. The Cavaliers (3-12, 1-8 MEC) trailed for all but the first few minutes of the game and were -14 in the rebound margin, giving up 15 offensive boards that led to 27 second-chance points for West Liberty.
 
Ranked No. 4 according the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) NCAA Division II poll, the Hilltoppers' full-court press forced 13 Cavalier turnovers that led to 19 West Liberty points. The Hilltoppers knocked down 14 3-pointers on 38 attempts (36.8 percent) and shot the ball at 52.8 percent (38-of-72) for the game.
 
UVa-Wise kept West Liberty scoreless for the first two minutes and 10 seconds of the game and took an early 2-0 lead after a jumper by freshman guard Chance Sheffey (Staunton, Va.). The score would be tied twice over the next minute and a half of play before the homestanding Hilltoppers scored nine unanswered points to grab a 15-6 lead six minutes into the contest. A 7-2 spurt by the Cavs over the next three and a half minutes got UVa-Wise within four twice before West Liberty went on a 16-4 run to take a 16-point, 33-17 advantage with 5:50 to go in the half. It would be the largest deficit of the half as a pair of free throws from redshirt junior forward Taiwo Badmus (London, England) capped a 8-3 run by the Cavs, making it an eight-point game at 39-31 with just under a minute to go in the half.
 
The Hilltoppers took an 11-point, 42-31 lead into the locker room after shooting 45.7 percent (16-of-35) from the field in the opening 20 minutes of play and making seven 3-pointers. West Liberty had five first-half steals and held UVa-Wise to 2-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc. The Cavs went 13-of-28 (46.4 percent) from the field in the first half but were -7 in the rebounding margin at the break.
 
West Liberty outscored UVa-Wise 11-5 in the first four and a half minutes of the second half to push their lead to 17 at 53-36. Freshman point guard Michal Seals (Lancaster, Pa.) cashed in on a pair of 3-pointers and the Cavs went on a 10-2 run over the next two minutes of play to cut the deficit back down to single digits at 55-46. However, the Hilltoppers quickly increased their lead to 18 after responding with a 10-1 run of their own, going up 65-47 with 11:21 remaining.
 
Back-to-back long balls from West Liberty freshman guard Clay Guillozet gave the Hilltoppers their first 20-point lead of the night at 73-53 with just under nine and a half minutes to play. West Liberty would remain ahead by 20 points or more for the final nine minutes of the game and held their largest lead of the afternoon at 29 after a 3-pointer from junior guard Brady Arnold with 1:26 to go. The Hilltoppers collected one more 3-pointer in the final minute as sophomore guard Tyler Primmer connected from deep with under 30 seconds remaining. Freshman forward Yesid Mosquera-Perea (Quibdó, Chocó, Colombia) knocked down a free throw in the last 10 seconds to make the 98-71 score final.
 
All told, UVa-Wise shot 45.8 percent (27-of-59) from the floor and went 7-of-20 (35 percent) from long range. The Cavs were outscored 38-19 in points off the bench.
 
Seals continued his fine play as of late to lead UVa-Wise with 22 points on 4-of-5 shooting from distance and six assists, while Badmus posted a near double-double of 15 points and eight rebounds. Mosquera-Perea tied his career high in points with 11 off the bench as redshirt sophomore forward Dimitri Sousa (São Paulo, Brazil) finished with nine points. Freshman guard Tajh Eason (Newport News, Va.) scored a career-high eight points in 12 minutes of action off the bench.
 
Senior guard Devin Hoehn led four Hilltoppers scoring in double figures with a game-high 24 points. Sophomore guard James Griffin earned a double-double for West Liberty with 14 points and 10 rebounds as Guillozet notched 13 points. Junior guard Dan Monteroso finished with 11 points for the Hilltoppers, while sophomore guard David Dennis dished out a team-high six assists and senior forward Zac Grossenbacher grabbed seven rebounds.
 
The Cavs will continue their three-game road trip Monday with another MEC matchup against a top-10 opponent, UVa-Wise faces No. 6 Wheeling Jesuit University at 6 p.m. in Wheeling, West Virginia.
 
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