Storylines – vs Mars Hill
Graduate student De'Ja Marshall and senior Zanah Boyd combine to score nearly half of the Lions points each contest. Marshall is posting a team-high 15.8 points per game while Boyd nets 10 points a night for a club that averages 54.5 points per contest. Rebounding and turnovers have been the issue for Briana Clark's squad in the early going. Thus far, Mars Hill is turning it over 22 times per contest while losing the battle of the boards by over eight rebounds a night. Regarded as one of the league's top players, Marshall is averaging a double-double as her ten rebounds a night are a team high. Last season, Marshall turned in a 19-point, 19-rebound performance against UVA Wise inside the Prior Center before racking up 18 points and 12 rebounds when the two met in Mars Hill.
About UVA Wise
Tuesday's game will be the home opener for UVA Wise who began the year winless on a season-opening four-game road trip. A bright spot has been junior guard
Nia Vanzant. Vanzant has registered double-figure scoring in each of the team's first four games and enters the game with Mars Hill as the team's leading scorer at 15 points per game. If history is any indication, the Murfreesboro, Tenn. product could be in for another big night against the Lions. Last season, Vanzant put together the best game of her career with 25 points on 11-of-15 shooting when UVA Wise sank Mars Hill at home. The Cavs will be looking to rebound from the program's lowest point total output since Dec. 20, 2014 when King University limited the team to 38 points. In Saturday's 61-40 loss at Anderson, UVA Wise scored just ten second half points on 4-of-28 shooting over the final 20 minutes. The second half shooting woes allowed the Trojans to erase a five-point halftime deficit. If the Cavs are to get on track the upcoming stretch of games is an ample time to do so.
Jamie Cluesman's team plays three straight at home and 4-of-5 at the Prior Center. A year ago, UVA Wise posted a 9-3 mark at home. Overall, the team is 17-8 in Wise over the last two seasons.
