WISE - - Cavalier men routed the Blue Knights of Urbana Thursday night, 85-77, shooting an impressive 62.1 percent (18-for-29) from the field in the first half. UVa-Wise outscored Urbana in the paint 48-26 and won the rebounding battle 36-27.

The Cavaliers (12-13, 10-9 MEC) dominated the majority of the game with a dunk by redshirt senior forward Taiwo Badmus putting the Cavs up 17-10 with 13:19 on the clock. A jumper by sophomore forward Yesid Mosquera-Perea gave the Cavs a 10-point lead, 30-20, at the 7:13 mark.

Urbana (4-21, 3-16 MEC) was able to cut the Cavs lead to two, but a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Chance Sheffey extended the Cavs lead to 35-30 with 3:22 left in the first half. Back-to-back layups by junior forward Leandro Amador and Sheffey put UVa-Wise up 12 points heading into the half, 43-31.

Badmus recorded a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds in the first half while the Cavaliers were led in scoring by Sheffey who posted 11 points in the opening half. UVa-Wise connected on all three free throw attempts but struggled from beyond the arc, hitting only 4-of-11 (36.4 percent) shots from downtown.

UVa-Wise maintained a double-digit lead for much of the second half until a 3-pointer by Urbana's Carlas Jackson put the Blue Knights down by nine, 55-46, with 11:47 to play. Urbana continued to chip away at the Cavs lead, only down by one-point, 66-65, behind a free throw by Urbana's Jackson with 6:21 on the clock.

Urbana and UVa-Wise would trade baskets with the clock winding down, but a 3-point shot by Urbana's Roy Hatchett tied the ball game up, 75-75, with 3:31 left to play. Badmus would respond with a shot from downtown followed by a pair of layups and a free throw by sophomore point guard Michal Seals to close out the game with the Cavs winning their fourth-straight contest.

The Blue Knights finished shooting 49.2 percent (29-for-59) from the floor, led by Jackson who had 16 points and Ethan Snapp who netted 15 points in the loss.

Badmus led the Cavs with 24 points and a season-high 19 rebounds while Seals recorded a double-double with 22 points and 10 assists alongside six rebounds. Sheffey netted 16 points in the game while Mosquera-Perea put up 14 points for the Cavaliers. UVa-Wise had a strong night of shooting, going 33-for-57 (57.9 percent) from the field in the win.

The Cavalier men will return to action on Saturday for their final home game of the season as they host Notre Dame College. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. inside the David J. Prior Convocation Center.