Storylines – vs. Glenville State College
Justin Caldwell's Pioneers' enter into Saturday afternoon's matchup with a 7-12 overall record, 2-11 in Mountain East Conference play, and are looking to snap a seven-game losing streak inside the Waco Center. Glenville State has spent the past week on the road with losses to West Virginia Wesleyan, 94-83, and Concord, 93-90. Senior forward Phil Bledsoe leads his team in scoring, posting 19 points per game and shooting 48.8 percent from the field. Bledsoe ranks fourth in the nation in Division II with his team-high 11.6 rebounds per contest while the Pioneers are averaging 42.3 per game at a -1.4 margin to opponents. The team's 29.42 defensive boards per game lead the league with their nearly 13 offensive boards per game ranking them second in the conference. Glenville State's 93.9 ppg is second in the Mountain East Conference and third in the country in Division II scoring offense. While landing in the top five in scoring, opponents are still averaging almost four points more per game than the Pioneers as the team is last in the league in scoring defense (98.1 points per game). Glenville State is recording a 33.6 three-point field goal percentage, placing them 10th in the MEC, as the team still leads the league in three-point field goals made, averaging 12.1 per game. The Pioneers will stay at home for their next matchup against West Virginia State Thursday night before heading to Charleston for a 4 p.m. tip next Saturday.
About UVa-Wise
With their first win of 2019 under their belt, UVa-Wise looks to continue on its upward trajectory on the road Saturday afternoon. Blake Mellinger's team earned a huge 85-79 win over West Virginia Wesleyan Wednesday night, halting a seven game losing streak. Against the Bobcats, UVa-Wise shot an impressive 60.8 percent (31-for-51) from the floor, 52.0 percent (13-for-25) from behind the arc, and connected on 10-of-11 (90.9 percent) from the foul line. The Cavaliers pulled off the win despite West Virginia Wesleyan knocking down 18 three pointers in the game. In the win, redshirt freshman
Briggs Parris had a game-high 22 points with four assists. Freshman forward
Cameron Whiteside was 6-of-7 from the field with 15 points while junior
Eric Okenchi netted 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Freshman forward
Kaeleb Carter also scored in double-figures for his second straight game with 14 points and added five rebounds, three assists, and a pair of blocks. The Cavs continue to improve their field goal percentages shooting above 60 percent in the second half of each of the last two games and recording a season-high 60.8 percent from the field against the Bobcats. On the boards, UVa-Wise is posting 39.3 rebounds per game and averaging 16.7 assists and 6.4 steals per contest. The Cavs will return to Wise following Saturday's contest for a three-game homestand starting with Kid's Day against Berea College (Ky.) at noon on Tuesday.
