BUCKHANNON, W.Va. - - Nicole Gilyard missed a five-foot floater in the waning seconds as West Virginia Wesleyan's comeback bid fell short in a 59-58 loss to UVa-Wise at the Rockefeller Center Wednesday.
UVa-Wise (4-4, 3-2 MEC) led by as many as 19 points late in the third quarter and entered the fourth quarter with a 50-33 advantage.
The work the Cavaliers had put in for three quarters nearly went by the wayside as the Bobcats (2-5, 2-3 MEC) battled back throughout the fourth quarter.
UVa-Wise held a 57-44 lead with under 2:30 to play but, Wesleyan cranked up the defensive pressure and began to make shots.
A bucket by Victoria Jackson made it a 57-46 game with 2:02 to play before the Cavs committed turnovers on three consecutive possessions which led to six quick points for the Bobcats.
With its lead trimmed to 57-52, UVa-Wise sophomore Hanna Oliver went to the line and made two clutch free throws to push the lead to seven with 38 seconds remaining.
The game was far from over, Brittany Stawovy would make a 3-pointer before an empty trip to the charity stripe gave the Bobcats the ball down 59-55 with under 20 seconds to play.
On the possession, Wesleyan's Tyra Hughes would bank in a 3-point shot to cut the deficit to 59-58 with 12 seconds showing on the clock.
The Bobcats would come up with a steal only to see Gilyard miss a potential game-winning shot attempt.
UVa-Wise built its lead with a dominating second quarter performance. Jamie Cluesman's squad had an 18-0 scoring run in the period as the visitors turned a 13-9 deficit to a 37-21 lead at intermission.
Redshirt sophomore Kalee Johnson scored 10 of her career-high 14 points in the first half. As a team, the Cavs won the battle of the boards 20-13 in the first 20 minutes which led to 10 second chance points.
Four UVa-Wise players made a 3-pointer in the victory while the team received 38 points off the bench. Freshman Mackenzie King canned a pair of 3-pointers as part of a 7-point effort while sophomore Ada Stanley chipped in eight points.
In many ways, the Cavs were their own worst enemy as the team turned the ball over 14 times in the second half and made just 9-of-18 free throw attempts in the game.
Junior Cynita Webb led all players with 10 rebounds to aid her team to a 42-32 showing on the boards in the triumph. The win moved UVa-Wise to 10-1 all-time against Wesleyan and allowed the club to earn its fourth victory of the season in its eighth game. A year ago, the program secured its fourth win of the year in its 22nd game of the year.
Next up, UVa-Wise will return home to play Glenville State on Saturday in a 12 p.m. tipoff.
