INSTITUTE, W. Va. - - UVa-Wise was thwarted by the Elizabeth City State Vikings Saturday afternoon, 80-60. Despite the loss, junior guard Michal Seals netted his 1,000th career point during the second half of the game.
The Cavaliers (1-1) struggled from the floor throughout the contest, shooting just 20-for-66 (30.3 percent) from the field while the Vikings (1-1) went 30-for-53 (56.6 percent) from the floor.
Seals led the charge for UVa-Wise, posting 27 points, six rebounds, and eight assists. Junior forward Eric Okenchi finished with a double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds while freshman guard Briggs Parris put up 10 points in the contest.
Elizabeth City went to work early, taking a nine-point, 11-2 lead over the Cavs with 16:40 on the clock in the opening half. Senior guard Rahji Langford snapped a 13 point run by the Vikings with a layup as Elizabeth City State held a 26-12 advantage with 8:25 to go. Seals would knock down back-to-back shots to cut the deficit to 11 points with the Cavs down, 30-19 with a little over six minutes to play in the first half. UVa-Wise scored 13 unanswered points late in the half with the Vikings still up 39-35 with 40 seconds to play. The Vikings would head into halftime with a 41-35 lead.
UVa-Wise went 12-for-32 (37.5 percent) from the floor with 17 boards to start. Elizabeth City State shot 15-for-25 (60 percent) from the field with 17 rebounds and 11 assists. Seals led the team with 16 points, four rebounds, and four assists while Okenchi and Parris each had seven points.
A jumper by Seals at the 16:53 mark would get the Cavs within three points, 47-44, as UVa-Wise looked to shift the momentum to start the second half. Elizabeth City State would continue to extend its lead, claiming a double-digit 58-48 advantage with a little over 12 minutes to play. The Cavs trailed for the rest of the contest as the Vikings pushed the margin to 20 points with less than two minutes to go. Elizabeth City State would go on to earn an 80-60 victory over the Cavs.
UVa-Wise went 8-for-34 (23.5) from the field in the second half, going just 3-for-18 from beyond the arc while Elizabeth City State shot 15-for-28 (53.6 percent) from the floor in the second half. The Cavs totaled 36 boards with 12 assists and four steals in the contest.
Blake Mellinger's team will open the home slate of their schedule on Thursday as they take the court against Alice Lloyd College. Tip is slated for 7 p.m. inside the David J. Prior Convocation Center.
