ANDERSON, S.C. – UVA Wise fell to the Trojans of Anderson University on the road Saturday afternoon, 89-78. Sophomore Cameron Whiteside led the way with 18 points and nine rebounds in the loss.

The Cavaliers (5-13, 1-11 SAC) had a strong offensive performance in the opening half shooting 56 percent (14-for-25) from the field and 45.5 percent (5-for-11) from three, but UVA Wise struggled on the offensive side of the ball in the second half shooting 35.3 percent (12-for-34) from the floor and were unable to connect on a shot from behind the arc (0-for-14).

Anderson (11-7, 6-6 SAC) shot above 60 percent from the floor and 40 percent from downtown in each half.

UVA Wise responded to an early run by the Trojans with redshirt sophomore Briggs Parris and senior Chance Sheffey combining for eight unanswered points to put the Cavs ahead by three, 8-5, three minutes into the game.

The two teams continued to exchange leads, tying the contest for the eighth time before the Trojans took a three-point lead, 43-40, with a little over two minutes left in the first half. Anderson held onto the lead into the break as the Cavs trailed, 48-44.

Both teams posted 14 points in the paint while UVA Wise netted 12 points off of turnovers. Anderson was aided by 22 points off the bench while the Cavs recorded 12 bench points. UVA Wise totaled nine rebounds in the first half to 13 for the Trojans with Anderson dishing out 14 assists to just four for UVA Wise.

Whiteside put up 10 points to start the game on 3-of-6 shooting and a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. Parris and redshirt junior Yesid Mosquera-Perea added eight points while Sheffey recorded seven points in the opening half. 

Anderson extended their lead to open the second frame, but a quick 6-0 Cavalier  run tied the game, 50-50, with a little under 18 minutes to play. UVA Wise gained its first lead of the half with 13:25 on the clock on a bucket in the paint by Whiteside to go ahead, 58-57.

The two teams tied the contest five more times before a 10-0 Trojan run put Anderson back in front with 4:37 to go. The Trojans gained their largest lead of the night with a little over three minutes left in the game, 87-74, as Anderson held on for an 89-78 win.

Each team posted 22 points in the paint in the closing half with the Cavs recording 10 second chance points and eight points off of turnovers.

Whiteside had eight points and seven rebounds in the second half while Parris, Mosquera-Perea, and senior Tajh Eason each recorded six points in the frame. UVA Wise collected 17 rebounds to 18 for the Trojans. Sheffey, Parris, and Mosquera-Perea were all perfect from the free throw line in the half as the Cavs shot 90.9 percent (10-for-11) from the charity stripe.

Three more Cavaliers posted double-digit points in Parris (14), Mosquera-Perea (14), and Sheffey (11). Eason added eight points on 4-of-6 shooting while freshman Izeah Parker was 3-for-3 from the field with seven points in the game. The Cavs shot 44.1 percent (25-for-59) from the floor, 20 percent (5-for-25) from three, and 84 percent (21-for-25) from the foul line on the night.

Head coach Blake Mellinger's team will return to the road to take on Mars Hill University Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m.