BANNER ELK, N.C. – Men's basketball dropped its season opener against King University, 84-74, Friday night in the first game of the weekend at the Conference Carolinas/SAC Challenge.
The two teams tied the game several times early in the first half before King (1-0) pulled ahead to a 15-9 lead with just under 14 minutes left in the opening half. The Tornado gained a double-digit lead a few minutes later on a three-pointer to give King a 23-13 advantage.
UVa-Wise (0-1) managed to get within five points following a three-point play by senior Eric Okenchi with the Tornado ahead of the Cavs, 27-22, at the 7:12 mark. Redshirt sophomore Briggs Parris' shot from downtown with 4:26 on the clock cut the deficit to two points as UVa-Wise trailed, 31-29. King continued to lead the Cavs throughout the first half as the Tornado took a 43-36 lead into the half.
Parris led the Cavs in the first half with eight points while Okenchi added seven points and sophomore Kaeleb Carter posted six points to start. UVa-Wise shot 42.9 percent (12-for-28) from the floor, connecting on just three shots from downtown, and going 9-for-13 (69.2 percent) from the charity stripe in the first half.
Another run early in the second half for King put the Tornado on top, 55-43, with 15:46 to play. King did not let go of the lead as the Tornado claimed their largest advantage of the night with 10:28 to go, up 67-49 over the Cavs. Carter took over late scoring six straight points to cut King's lead to four points, 77-73, with just under two minutes to go. UVa-Wise looked to rally late but the comeback fell short as King went on to pull out an 84-74 victory.
Carter netted 14 points in the second half on 5-for-7 shooting, 3-for-3 from the foul line, followed by Parris who knocked down a trio of three-pointers for nine points. The Cavs shot 46.7 percent from the floor in the closing half and went 6-for-9 (66.7 percent) from the foul line.
Three players scored in double figures led by Carter who had 20 points with five boards. Parris followed with 17 points, connecting on five shots from behind the arc, while Okenchi registered 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field. Sophomore Cameron Whiteside led the team with six rebounds while Carter and senior Chance Sheffey each recorded five boards with Sheffey adding five assists in the loss.
Coach Mellinger's team will wrap up the Conference Carolinas/SAC Challenge tomorrow with a 4 p.m. tip against host institution Lees-McRae College.
