SHEPHERDSTOWN, W. Va. - - A late rally by UVa-Wise would not be enough as the Cavs were outlasted by Shepherd Saturday afternoon, 84-77, on the road. Freshman Cameron Whiteside finished with a game-high 25 points and added four rebounds and three assists.

Three other Cavalier men scored in double figures including redshirt freshman Briggs Parris who posted 16 points and a team-high six rebounds. Freshman Kaeleb Carter finished with 14 points and a pair of assists and steals while junior Chance Sheffey netted 14 points while going 10-for-10 from the charity stripe.

UVa-Wise (7-17, 4-14 MEC) would utilize an early 7-2 to go ahead of the Rams (12-12, 8-10 MEC) on a Parris three ball, 10-7, less than four minutes into the game. The two teams went back-and-forth tying the game at 16 apiece with a little over 13 minutes left in the first half before a 12-0 run put Shepherd on top by 10, 26-16, with 9:51 to go.

Five late points in the half between Sheffey and Whiteside would cut the deficit to single digits with the Rams holding a 43-34 advantage into halftime.

Each team posted 10 first half points in the paint with UVa-Wise scoring nine points off of turnovers and assisted with 10 points off the bench. Shepherd finished the half with 14 bench points and four second chance points to just two for the Cavs.

Carter and Sheffey led the Cavs to start in scoring with eight points apiece while Carter racked up three fouls in the opening half.

Shepherd posted an impressive 71.4 percent (15-for-21) from the field, shooting 50 percent (4-for-8) from downtown. The Cavs registered a 42.9 field goal percentage (12-for-28) and were also 42.9 percent (6-for-14) from behind the arc.

Parris, Whiteside, and Carter combined for a quick seven points to put UVa-Wise within four, 45-41, with just under 18 minutes to go in the game.

The Cavs stayed within striking distance until the Rams pulled ahead by 19 points with the help of a 12-2 run as Shepherd extended their lead to 66-47 at the 10 minute mark. UVa-Wise was able to cut the margin to single digits with 2:30 left to play, 77-68, on a put back by Whiteside to keep the Cavs in the game.

UVa-Wise continued to fight but seven points from the line for the Rams in the final minute secured a 84-77 Shepherd win.

The Rams were outscored in the paint in the second half, 16-4, while UVa-Wise was aided by 13 points off of Shepherd turnovers.

Whiteside put up 19 points in the closing half while Parris added 10 points. UVa-Wise shot 44.8 percent (13-for-29) in the half, an abysmal 25 percent (5-for-20) from downtown, but managed to improve significantly from the charity stripe with the Cavs connecting on 12-of-13 (92.3 percent) from the foul line.

On the night, UVa-Wise was 25-for-57 (43.9 percent) from the floor, 11-for-34 (32.4 percent) from three-point range, and knocked down 16-of-17 (94.1 percent) from the free throw line.

Blake Mellinger's team will get back on the road next week with games against Urbana on Thursday and Notre Dame College on Saturday.