WISE - - The old phrase "it's better to give than receive" was never more true than Saturday as UVa-Wise handed out 23 assists in an 80-64 Mountain East Conference women's basketball over victory visiting University of Charleston at the Prior Center.
Makenzie Cluesman led the way for UVa-Wise (15-5, 10-2 MEC) in the assist category by dishing out a career-high 12 assists, the Jonesville, Va. native added 11 points to record a double-double.
Cluesman's big assist day began on the game's opening possession when she found junior Allison Ball for a bucket inside. It would be two of a season-high 17 points for the Newport, Tenn. product as the junior finished 7-11 from the floor.
The opening basket was the start of an 8-2 run to open the game for the Cavaliers. Ball and Cluesman provided all eight of the points as each player added a 3-pointer.
Charleston (6-12, 5-7 MEC) would get the back within two points thanks to consecutive buckets from Aloneet Druden and Jordyn Peck.
With its lead cut to 8-6, Kristin Kunzman's team would make six of its next seven shots to take a 21-15 lead after the opening 10 minutes.
The Golden Eagles would never again get the game within one possession. Charleston would see UVa-Wise go on a 7-0 scoring spurt over a 90 second span to run the lead to 36-24 with 5:48 to play in the half.
At halftime, the Cavs held a 46-35 lead behind red-hot shooting. UVa-Wise made 76.9 percent of its shot attempts in the second quarter and 70.3 percent of its shots for the half. Ball netted 15 of her 17 points in the half while Cluesman posted six points and seven assists in the opening 20 minutes.
Charleston shot 54.8 percent in the half but struggled from beyond the arc. Adam Collins' team made just one of seven 3-point attempts compared to a 6-9 showing by the hosts.
The lead would balloon to as many as 17 points in the third period when Cluesman capped an 11-2 surge with a 3-pointer.
Charleston would get no closer than 14 points in the final quarter as the visitors made just 11 of 29 field goal attempts while going 0-5 from the 3-point line in the second half.
Peck led all players with 19 points but made just eight of 22 field goal attempts, Collins' squad also lost the battle of the boards 38-33, scoring just eight second chance points in the process.
For the second consecutive game, UVa-Wise point guard Taylor Sandidge was hampered with foul trouble. The senior played just 18 minutes but still managed to record 10 points and six rebounds.
Ashley Cullen scored in double figures for the second consecutive game as the sophomore chipped in 10 points and seven boards. Ball added a trio of rebounds and five assists to her season-high showing.
Two other UVa-Wise players nearly cracked double figure scoring as Kayla Carey scored nine points and grabbed nine rebounds while Kayla Mullins came off the bench to score nine points on 4-7 shooting.
With Saturday's win, UVa-Wise completed a season series sweep of Charleston. The Cavs defeated the Golden Eagles 85-72 in Charleston earlier this season.
The win improves the Cavs to 9-0 inside the Prior Center, UVa-Wise will now embark on a three-game road trip. The trip begins Thursday in Shepherdstown, W.Va. against the Shepherd Rams. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m.
