Storylines – vs. Tusculum University
Falling in at fifth place in current South Atlantic Conference standings, Tusculum University enters into Wednesday night's matchup with a 13-6 overall mark, 8-5 in the SAC. The Pioneers visit UVA Wise following a 2-0 week for Tusculum with wins at Lenoir-Rhyne and against Newberry. Head coach J.T. Burton's team wrapped up the month of January with a 3-5 record, picking up wins against Anderson (S.C.) and Wingate also. The Pioneers' Â junior forward Brandon Mitchell provides a team-leading 8.1 rebounds per game (third in the SAC) while the team is recording the second-most rebounds in the league, registering 41.3 boards per game. Mitchell is one of three Pioneers averaging double-figure scoring so far this campaign with his 10 points per game while shooting 51.6 percent from the field. Sophomore guard Trenton Gibson adds 13 points per game while senior guard Tariq Jenkins is posting a team-high 14.3 points per contest. As a team, Tusculum is recording 73.5 points and 10.9 assists per game while shooting 70.3 percent from the charity stripe. The Pioneers will return to Tennessee for a pair of home games following Wednesday's contest with Queens (N.C.) up first Saturday at 4 p.m.
About UVA Wise
Head coach Blake Mellinger's team dropped its first game of February against Catawba College in a one-point heartbreaker, 67-66, inside the David J. Prior Convocation Center Saturday afternoon. In the loss, redshirt sophomore
Briggs Parris poured in a game-high 21 points connecting on five shots from downtown. Sophomore
Cameron Whiteside posted 16 points while senior
Eric Okenchi added 12 points off the bench on 4-of-5 shooting from the field. Senior
Chance Sheffey's 11 points against the Indians puts him just 11 points away from his 1,000th career point as he added a team-high five assists in the loss to Catawba. Among individual league leaders, four Cavalier men rank in the top-five across six different categories. Parris' 3.1 three-pointers per game place him second in the SAC while Sheffey ranks third with his team-high 5.2 assists per game. Whiteside's team-leading 20.0 points per game place him fourth in the category while his 7.2 field goals per game rank third in the conference. The team's 74.6 percent shooting from the free throw line puts them fifth in the SAC while ranking fourth in assists, dishing out 15.3 per game. The Pioneers and Cavs last met in mid-December when UVA Wise suffered a two-point loss, 86-84, at Tusculum. Coach Mellinger's team will head back on the road after Wednesday's game for a contest at Newberry College Saturday at 4 p.m.
