Storylines – vs LENOIR-RHYNE UNIVERSITY
The Bears of Lenoir-Rhyne University enter into Wednesday night's matchup with an 8-3 overall and South Atlantic Conference mark after most recently defeating Mars Hill at home, 71-65 Monday evening. Receiving votes in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II poll, the Bears have highlighted this season with wins over then-second ranked Lincoln Memorial, 89-83, and then-12th ranked Queens (NC), 71-66. Head coach Everick Sullivan's squad returned to action after a three-week hiatus from play this past Saturday in a one-point loss to Anderson inside Shuford Gym as Lenoir-Rhyne has won four of their last five matchups. The team holds a 5-1 mark at home this year as the Bears seek for back-to-back wins against UVA Wise. Lenoir-Rhyne ranks fifth in the league in scoring (77.5 ppg), made field goals (27.4 per game), and field goal percentage (45.5 percent). The Bears lead the SAC at the stripe, shooting 78.6 percent while averaging the fewest turnovers in the league at 11.7 per game. Guard Darius Simmons leads Lenoir-Rhyne with 16.7 points per game while his 91.4 percent shooting at the foul line places him second in the category in the conference.
About UVA WISE
The Cavalier men look to even the season series against Lenoir-Rhyne Wednesday as UVA Wise makes its second-straight trip to North Carolina to face the Bears. The two teams last met inside the David J. Prior Convocation Center in January as the Cavs fell 98-63 at home. Head coach Blake Mellinger and his crew look to halt a two-game losing streak with the Cavs coming off of a 108-88 loss at then-No. 20 Queens (NC). Five Cavaliers scored in double figures in the game against the Royals led by junior
Kaeleb Carter's 21 point outing, connecting on a team-high five shots from downtown while adding a team-best six assists and four steals. Freshman Bradly Dean contributed 12 bench points with his 4-of-4 shooting from behind the arc. As a team, the Cavs are averaging 79 points per game (fourth in the SAC) while shooting 44.7 percent (sixth in the SAC) from the floor this season. The team's nearly 10 made three-pointers a game place UVA Wise second in the category in the SAC.
