WISE, Va. – UVa-Wise men's basketball wraps up its second three-game road trip in the month of January Wednesday night at West Virginia Wesleyan College. Tipoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.
 
Storylines – at West Virginia Wesleyan
The Cavaliers look to avenge a 77-70 loss to the Bobcats inside the David J. Prior Convocation Center earlier this season on Nov. 30. West Virginia Wesleyan has won five of its last six games after starting 2017 with a five-game losing streak. Currently sitting in sixth place in the Mountain East Conference standings, the Bobcats' lone loss in the last six games came at second-ranked Fairmont State University (118-85).
 
Wednesday night's matchup wraps up a three-game homestand for West Virginia Wesleyan; the Bobcats won their first two games of the stretch with a 99-72 win over Notre Dame College and a 91-70 defeat of Urbana University. West Virginia Wesleyan holds a 5-3 record inside its Rockefeller Arena this season.
 
In the two teams' first meeting this season, the Bobcats shot a blistering 61 percent from the field, including 64 percent in the first half, and turned 15 UVa-Wise turnovers into 22 Bobcat points to upend the homestanding Cavs. UVa-Wise trailed for all but the first two minutes of the contest despite staying within striking distance for the majority of the game. Although the Cavs shot 50 percent or better in each half, UVa-Wise was unable to get any closer than six points in the second half.
 
Led by interim head coach Jack Meriwether since Jan. 13, West Virginia Wesleyan has four different players averaging double-figure scoring. Senior guard Mo Berchie (16.4 PPG), sophomore guard Kevin Kangni (14.2 PPG), freshman forward Luke Layhew (11.7 PPG) and sophomore forward Fred Brondsted (10.4 PPG) are all averaging over 10 points per game for the Bobcats. The Cavs are 0-7 against West Virginia Wesleyan since joining the MEC in 2013.
 
About UVa-Wise
UVa-Wise is currently tied for 10th in the league standings after suffering two road losses last week. The Cavs fell 81-66 at Shepherd University last Thursday before suffering a lopsided, 116-77 defeat at second-ranked Fairmont State this past Saturday. The Fighting Falcons shot 60 percent against UVa-Wise and nailed 53 percent (17-of-32) of their 3-pointers as seven different Fairmont State players reached double figures. Forcing 22 Cavalier turnovers, including 12 in the second half, the Fighting Falcons scored 33 points off of UVa-Wise's miscues and got 72 points off the bench.
 
Third in the league in assists per game (5.7), freshman point guard Michal Seals (Lancaster, Pa.) has averaged a team-best 22.3 points per game over the last three contests. Seals has scored a career-high tying 24 points in each of the last two games. Redshirt junior forward and Fairmont State transfer Taiwo Badmus (London, England) is third in the MEC in scoring (21.4 PPG) and fifth in the conference in rebounding (9.9 RPG).
 
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