WISE – Men's basketball extended its win streak to three games Friday night inside the David J. Prior Convocation Center. Senior Eric Okenchi notched a season-high 22 points as the Cavs put away Alice Lloyd with an 88-80 victory.
Three Cavaliers (3-2) posted double-doubles for the Cavs led by Okenchi who added 13 boards to his game-high 22 points. Sophomore Josh Thomas registered his first career double-double with a career-high 12 points and 10 rebounds. Fellow sophomore Cameron Whiteside also finished with a double-double as he notched his third 20-point game of the season while tying his career-high 10 rebounds in the win.
Alice Lloyd (4-4) opened the game with a 6-0 run before a bucket by senior Chance Sheffey put the Cavs on the board with under 17 minutes to play in the first half. The Cavs sustained the lead, going up by as much as nine points with 10:39 on the clock, but a quick run for the Eagles put UVA Wise pulled Alice Lloyd within three points, 21-18.
The Cavs gained a double-digit advantage with a little over five minutes to go, taking their largest lead of the half, 45-31, with less than three minutes left. Alice Lloyd managed to cut the Cavs lead to single-digits with a late basket as the Eagles trailed, 49-40, into halftime.
Whiteside and redshirt sophomore Briggs Parris were the leading scorers for the Cavs in the opening half with Whiteside netting 12 points and Parris collecting 10 points.
UVA Wise shot 45.5 percent (15-for-33) from the field, 42.9 percent (6-for-14) from three, and connected on 13-of-14 (92.9 percent) from the charity stripe in the opening half.
The Eagles started the second half with a 9-3 run to get within three points, 52-49, with just under 18 minutes left in the game. Alice Lloyd clawed back to hang in the game, tying it twice before UVA Wise gained another double-digit lead at the nine minute mark, 71-61.
The Cavs extended their lead to 20 points, 82-62, with under six minutes to play, and did not let up as UVA Wise secured an 88-80 victory over the Eagles.
Okenchi led the Cavs in the second half as he finished with 13 points and nine rebounds on 4-of-8 shooting from the field.
Parris was one of four Cavaliers who scored in double-figures on the night totaling 17 points and a season-high five rebounds while redshirt freshman Joseph Keenan posted a career-high six points in the win.
Head coach Blake Mellinger's team will return to the Prior Center Tuesday evening for the Cavs first South Atlantic Conference matchup of the season against Mars Hill at 7:30 p.m. inside the David J. Prior Convocation Center.
