Storylines – vs Lenoir-Rhyne
Coming off its biggest win of the season, a 70-44 win over Newberry, Lenoir-Rhyne will attempt to win back-to-back games for the first time this season when the team visits UVA Wise Wednesday. Sophomore forward Madeline Hardy is the Bears leading scorer and rebounder. The six-foot center is averaging 15.5 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Hardy enters the game playing her best basketball of the season having posted a double-double in three of the last four games while having scored 10 or more points in four consecutive contests. Defense has been the Achilles heel for Lenoir-Rhyne thus far, the Bears enter the game 11th in the South Atlantic Conference and 228th nationally in field goal percentage defense as teams are making 41.5 percent of their field goal attempts. Third-year coach Cameron Sealey's team has also struggled on the road, sporting just a 1-7 mark away from Hickory. The Bears lone road win of the year came on Dec. 18 when Sealey's team scored a 72-62 win at Lincoln Memorial University.
About UVA Wise
An old saying states "home is where the heart is", for coach Jamie Cluesman and her team home is where the wins are. UVA Wise is 5-1 at home and enters Wednesday's game with Lenoir-Rhyne on a three-game home winning streak inside the Prior Center. Overall, the Cavaliers are outscoring opponents by over 12 points per game at home as the team is making 46.2 percent of their field goal attempts. A big reason for the home success has been the play in the first half. Cluesman's squad is limiting opponents to just 27 points per game in the first 20 minutes. The strong defensive play has allowed UVA Wise to enter intermission up by over eight points on average at home. Most recently, the Cavs dropped a 63-61 decision at Wingate despite double-double performances by senior Cynita Webb and freshman Caitlyn Ross. Webb tossed in 16 points while grabbing 18 rebounds to tally her 11th double-double of the season while Ross' 11 points and 10 assists allowed her to record the first double-double of her collegiate career. Depth was a factor in the loss to the Bulldogs as the Cavs were unable to maintain a 10-point fourth quarter lead, scoring just nine points in the final period. Four UVA Wise women played 39 or more minutes in the game while Kalee Johnson logged 35 minutes as only six Cavs touched the floor. Wednesday's game will pit two of the youngest teams in the SAC, Lenoir-Rhyne does not have a senior on its roster while Webb is the only senior for UVA Wise.