WISE - - UVA Wise keeps winning. Jamie Cluesman's club withstood a game Lenoir-Rhyne club inside the Prior Center Wednesday night to claim a fifth straight victory, 70-63 over the Bears. Sophomore Caitlyn Ross scored 10 of her game-high 18 points in the second half while redshirt junior Meg Crawford played bigger than her 6-foot-3 frame with 15 points and a season-high 15 boards to pace the Cavaliers.
Lenoir-Rhyne (1-5, 1-5 SAC) took a three-point lead with 2:20 to play in the third quarter on an inside bucket by Oliva Nunn. It would be the last time the visitors scored to take the lead or extend a lead in the contest.
UVA Wise (5-1, 5-1 SAC) closed the third quarter on a 7-0 run to take a 54-50 lead to the final 10 minutes of play. In the final period, the Cavs used a pair of 3-pointers by reigning South Atlantic Conference Player of the Week Nia Vanzant to put the game out of reach.
Vanzant's final long-range shot came with 3:32 to play when she drained a triple off a Kalee Johnson pass to make it a 68-61 affair.
The two shots from distance were part of a trio of 3-pointers made by the guard who finished with 14 points and eight rebounds on a night that saw her eclipse 500 career points in just her 34th collegiate game.
Johnson continued to stuff the stat sheet as she scored in double figures for the fifth consecutive game. The redshirt senior finished with 17 points, six rebounds, five assists, two blocks and a steal.
The work Crawford did on the boards allowed UVA Wise to win the battle of the glass 46-to-37 and limit Lenoir-Rhyne to just 10 second chance points.
Ross dished out her 200th career assist in the win as she finished with three. Ross and Johnson joined Vanzant has players who played all 40 minutes for UVA Wise.
The Bears were led by Emily Harman who scored 16 points on 6-of-22 shooting. Nunn (13), Hanna McClung (11) and Blaikley Crooks (10) also reached double figures for LR.
Both schools shot well from the foul line, the guests finished 10-of-13 from the charity stripe while Cluesman's team connected on 19-of-22 attempts.
The five-game winning streak for UVA Wise is the longest since the 2016-17 season and the longest for the program since joining the SAC.
Next up, the Cavs play host to the Newberry Wolves at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.
