WISE - - UVa-Wise managed to outlast Alice Lloyd College in a 79-73 win over the Eagles in the Cavs' home opener Thursday night. Junior forward Tajh Eason had a career day as he put up 16 points and grabbed 15 boards along with two blocks and three steals.
Five Cavaliers saw double-figures as junior guard Michal Seals led the Cavs with 21 points, six assists, and four rebounds while junior forward Eric Okenchi had 13 points with eight rebound on the night. Freshmen guards Briggs Parris and Cameron Whiteside each put up 12 points apiece in the Cavs win.
UVa-Wise (2-1) would take an early 11-5 lead on a three-pointer by Seals with 17:09 on the clock. Alice Lloyd (2-4) then used an 11-0 run to erase the Cavs lead for a 16-11 advantage for the Eagles at the 13:26 mark. The Eagle would continue their hot start utilizing another run to put Alice Lloyd ahead 25-16 on a layup by Chance Cornett with 9:31 to go. The Eagles would gain a double-digit lead over the Cavs before Eason knocked down a pair of free throws with the Cavs trailing 34-25 with 4:41 left in the first half. Alice Lloyd would gain it's largest lead of the game on a three by the Eagles' Cornett with the scoreboard reading 40-27 with 3:21 on the clock. The Cavs would head into the half trailing the Eagles, 43-35.
Cavaliers struggled from the floor throughout the first half, shooting just 10-for-33 (30.3 percent) from the floor and only 1-for-13 (7.7 percent) from three-point range. UVa-Wise capitalized from the free throw line, hitting 14-of-17 shots (82.4 percent) from the charity stripe. The Cavs edged the Eagles in rebounds in the opening half, posting 25 boards to Alice Lloyd's 23 rebounds.
Back-to-back three's by Parris would open the second half as the Cavs used an 8-0 run to tie the game, 43-43, with 18:14 on the clock. Eason's three ball would give UVa-Wise a 46-45 lead at the 16:50 mark. Knotted at 49-49, another Parris three would put the Cavs up 52-49 with a little over 14 minutes to play as the Cavs began to settle into an offensive rhythm. The Eagles would tie the game at 56-56 before a 7-0 run for UVa-Wise gave the Cavs a 63-58 lead with 9:20 to go. The Eagles would attempt to make a run but Eason would extend UVa-Wise's lead as he knocked down back-to-back shots for a 68-62 advantage for the Cavs with seven minutes on the clock. Alice Lloyd would try to get back in the game, but the Cavs would keep the lead as UVa-Wise went on to win 79-73.
UVa-Wise improved its field goal percentage in the second half, going 17-for-40 (42.5 percent) from the floor as they knocked down seven shots from downtown. The Eagles were just 12-for-44 (27.3 percent) from the field in the second half.
The Cavs finished the night going 27-for-73 (37.0 percent) from the field and 17-for-21 (81.0 percent) from the charity stripe. UVa-Wise edged the Eagles in the rebounding battle, collecting 54 boards to the Eagles' 51 as the Cavs scored 36 points inside the paint.
Blake Mellinger's squad will begin Mountain East Conference play on Saturday as the Cavs take the court against the Urbana Blue Knights for game two of their five-game home stand. Tip is slated for 4 p.m. inside the David J. Prior Convocation Center.
