Storylines – vs. University of Charleston
The University of Charleston visits UVa-Wise on Saturday afternoon with a 1-2 Mountain East Conference record and a 5-3 overall record in the early part of their 2017-18 campaign. The Golden Eagles opened up their conference slate taking the court against Fairmont State University where Charleston fell in overtime by a score of 105-104. Charleston would bounce back against Shepherd University, earning a two-point, 82-80 victory over the Rams. Pausing conference play, the Golden Eagles were victorious in their matchups against Penn State Fayette, 93-77, and Davis & Elkins, 66-59. This season, the Golden Eagles are averaging 84.3 points per game, shooting 200-for-433 (46.2 percent) from the field and 64-for-165 (38.8 percent) from three-point range. Senior guard Kier Anderson leads all scorers for Charleston, averaging 16.6 points per game and shooting 55.1 percent from the field. Freshman forward Lamont McManus leads the Golden Eagles in rebounding, averaging 6.6 rebounds per game. Coming off a 15-15 season, 8-14 in the MEC, Head Coach Dwaine Osborne's team has been selected to finish seventh in the MEC Preseason Poll. The Golden Eagles 2016-17 campaign concluded in the quarterfinal round of the MEC Tournament, falling to Fairmont State, 76-64. Following Saturday afternoon's matchup inside the David J. Prior Convocation Center, the Golden Eagles will return home to host Urbana University on Dec. 6 and then hit the road for the team's final MEC matchup of 2017, visiting Notre Dame College on Dec. 9.
About UVa-Wise
Fresh off of a thrilling 83-81 buzzer-beating victory on the road against West Virginia State University, the Cavalier men return to the David J. Prior Convocation Center to host the University of Charleston. A battle ensued inside the Walker Convocation Center on Wednesday night with a last second floater by sophomore forward Tajh Eason sealing the win for the Cavaliers, improving to 3-0 in conference play for the first time since the 2002-2003 season. The night was also highlighted by the second-half performance of MEC Player of the Week, Taiwo Badmus. Scoring only seven points in the first half, Badmus hit 6-of-6 three-pointers in the second half on his way to earning a new season-high 33 points alongside a season-high 13 rebounds. Aggressive defense forced the Cavaliers to turn the ball over 24 times compared to just 14 turnovers for the Yellow Jackets. The Cavs would respond with a strong offensive show in the second half, shooting 59.3 percent from the floor and 85.7 percent from beyond the arc. UVa-Wise shot 30-for-60 (50 percent) on the night with all six of the team's three-point field goals coming from Badmus. The Cavs also went 100 percent from the foul line in the second half, going 17-for-21 (81 percent) on the night. So far this season, the Cavaliers are 212-for-501 (42.3 percent) from the field, averaging 78.1 points per game. UVa-Wise will continue league play on Wednesday, Dec. 6th for a 7:30 p.m. matchup against West Virginia Wesleyan College inside the David J. Prior Convocation Center.
