The Cavs fought hard in their South Atlantic Conference (SAC) opener tonight in Gaffney, S.C. but couldn't grab the W and lost by 10 to the Saints.
In the first half, both teams fought hard and the first earned bucket didn't go in until the 18:14 mark where Cavalier Kaeleb Carter threw in a layup to get the Cavs on the scoreboard. Limestone responded with a layup of their own from forward Richard Nunez, and gave the Saints momentum to roll through the next four points with a Ben Gahlert layup and Nunez jumper to get the Saints ahead, 10-6. UVA Wise's Tyler Lloyd trickled in a layup off the board, and drew the foul to put the Cavs within one.
After a minute ticked away, Makai Vassell of the Cavs put up two points to take over the lead at 14:38. After 10 minutes passed, the Cavs and the Saints each battled and neither team was able to take a substantial lead from each other. At the end of the first half, Vassell was able to get in a layup at the buzzer to give the Cavs a four-point lead at the break.
Lloyd of the Cavs dominated the hotly-contested first half, snagging 14 points. Vassell was 3-4 from field goal range and was a force under the basket with six rebounds.
After the break, Limestone struck first with a three-pointer at the hands of Isayah Owens. The Cavs responded with a Lloyd layup and a foul took him back to the line. After a missed free throw, Gahlert of the Saints took the ball and sank a fastbreak layup at the 18:15 mark — never letting the Cavs stray too far away.
Limestone started to gain momentum at the 10:17 mark after Limestone's Greg McKay drew a foul to force him to the charity stripe. After making both free throws, Owens came back and hit a jumper to give them a 55-49 lead. Limestone took control of the ball once again and Ayo Dada hit a three from downtown to get a 9-point lead for the Saints. As time ticked away, an Ayden Hickman three-pointer gave Limestone a large lead with 11. The lead enlarged by 14 after a Lloyd foul gave Dada the opportunity to shoot two free throws, and he sank both.
Later with 18 seconds left to go, Saint Chase Freeman was fouled and after sinking two at the line, Limestone sealed the deal with an 82-72 final score.
Carter led the night for the Cavs with 23 points, while Vassell grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. Bradley Dean ended the night with five assists. The Cavs were 20-25 from the line, and 24-45 from field goal range.
Limestone's Dada led the Saints with 21 points and five rebounds.
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