WISE – Men's basketball cruised past Berea College (Ky.), 100-53, Monday night inside the David J. Prior Convocation Center. Six Cavaliers scored in double-figures for UVa-Wise led by sophomore Cameron Whiteside who collected a game-high 23 points as the Cavs secured their second consecutive victory.
The Mountaineers (2-3) held a short advantage over the Cavs to start but UVa-Wise (2-2) used a series of three-point shots to pull ahead by five points, 17-12, with 13 minutes on the clock. The Cavaliers gained a double-digit advantage midway through the half, taking a 20-point lead on a jumper by junior Yesid Mosquera-Perea. UVa-Wise stayed on top of Berea as the Cavs went into halftime with a 44-29 lead.
Whiteside and senior Chance Sheffey each scored in double-figures in the opening half with Whiteside netting 15 points while Sheffey recorded 10 points. Sophomore Kaeleb Carter led the team with six rebounds in the first half.
UVa-Wise shot nearly 53 percent from the floor (18-for-34) to start, connecting on five shots from behind the arc, and 3-of-6 (50 percent) from the foul line. The Cavs also posted 11 assists and 24 rebounds in the first half.
Redshirt sophomore Briggs Parris opened the scoring in the second half as UVa-Wise stayed in control. Turnovers and missed shots compounded for the Mountaineers as the Cavs pulled ahead to a 62-33 advantage with a little over 15 minutes to play. UVa-Wise maintained the lead, going up by as many as 49 points, as the Cavs posted an emphatic 100-53 win over the Mountaineers.
UVa-Wise knocked down eight shots (8-for-19) from behind the arc in the second half with 25 rebounds and 17 assists. Freshman Drew Greene and Parris led the team in scoring in the second half with 14 points and 13 points, respectively.
As a team, UVa-Wise shot 52.7 percent (39-for-74) from the floor, 39.4 percent (13-for-33) from three, and 75 percent (9-for-12) from the charity stripe in the victory.
Whiteside registered a season-high 23 points with six rebounds and five assists in the win. Senior Eric Okenchi and Sheffey each finished with 10 points and six assists while Sheffey dished out a career-high nine assists. Parris netted 15 points while Greene added a season-high 14 points and sophomore Josh Thomas collected 11 points against Berea. Mosquera-Perea led the team with a career-high nine rebounds while sophomore Kaeleb Carter finished with six boards.
Head coach Blake Mellinger's team will return to the Prior Center Friday night for a 7 p.m. matchup against Alice Lloyd College.
