Storylines – vs. Fairmont State University
Fairmont State will meet UVa-Wise inside the David J. Prior Convocation Center Thursday night for the Fighting Falcons' first conference matchup of 2019. Dropping its first two games of the 2018-19 season, Joe Mazzulla's team recovered quickly, posting a 9-1 record since then. Undefeated in Mountain East Conference play, Fairmont State opened its conference slate with a double-overtime three-point win, 99-96, against Charleston and wrapped up 2018 league play with a two-point, 106-104, victory against a nationally-ranked West Liberty team. Senior guard Jason Jolly leads his squad in scoring with 18.8 points per game while shooting 43.3 percent (74-for-171) from the field. Fellow senior guard Vonte Montgomery is the team's top rebounder averaging 6.2 per contest and adding 15.6 ppg. Junior forward Andrew Emrick has provided assistance off the bench accounting for the only other player averaging double-figures for the Fighting Falcons with 11 ppg. Through 12 games for the Fighting Falcons, the team is averaging 84 ppg with a +6.3 scoring margin against opponents while shooting 46.7 percent (359-for-769). The Fighting Falcons are recording 37.9 rebounds per game along with 14.3 assists per contest. Currently, Fairmont State ranks 24th in the D2SIDA men's basketball poll while receiving votes in the NABC poll.
About UVa-Wise
UVa-Wise returns home following a hard-fought road loss to Carson-Newman University last Wednesday, 90-83. Against the Eagles, junior guard
Michal Seals posted a season-high 28 points as he led all scorers. Blake Mellinger's team moved to a 5-6 overall record after struggling from the floor in the first half against Carson-Newman, shooting just 36.4 percent (12-for-33) from the floor in the opening half. Through 11 games, Seals leads the team averaging 20.3 points per game and is second in the Mountain East Conference and nationally in assists, dishing 8.6 per contest. Three more Cavalier men are averaging double-figures so far this season in freshman guard/forward
Cameron Whiteside (10.3 ppg), junior forward
Eric Okenchi (12.8 ppg), and redshirt freshman
Briggs Parris (15.5 ppg). As a team, UVa-Wise is netting 84.9 ppg and shooting 42.7 percent from the floor. The team ranks third in the league in three-point field goal percentage (39.2 percent), led by Parris who has connected on 51-of-103 shots (49 percent) from downtown as he sits atop the conference's individual three-point field goal percentage rankings. Defensively, the Cavs are posting 42.4 rebounds per game and are in the second-place spot in the league in both offensive (13.1) and defensive (29.3) rebounds per game. Okenchi leads his team in rebounding with 8.1 per contest ranking him fifth in the conference and second in offensive rebounds per game (3.4). UVa-Wise will attempt to extend its home game win streak Thursday night against the Fighting Falcons before hosting the Rams of Shepherd University Saturday afternoon.
