WISE, VA — Pressure by Young Harris sharpshooters Lenny Pradia and Josh Petteno late in the second half caused trouble for Cavalier defense as the Mountain Lions secured the 86-76 win in the Prior Center on Sunday, Dec. 4.

In the game's early stages, UVA Wise (6-1, 0-0 SAC) were dangerous from the arc as Rron Ukaj, Luke Lawson, Ben Bryson and Zion Fruster all sank a three-point bucket each in the first six minutes of play. The Cavaliers solidified a solid lead over Young Harris (6-0, 0-0 PBC) after a key J'Son Brooks bucket put their squad at a 24-14 score with 12:08 to go in the half.

Soon after, a commanding 12-0 run led by Mountain Lion Karl Chavis gave Young Harris their first lead of the game at the 8:25 mark. After a gritty back-and-forth remainder of the half, the Cavaliers came out with a four-point edge going into halftime.

Cavalier momentum didn't fade after the break as Patrick Shelley and Calen Lightford hit two back-to-back three-pointers in the first two minutes of the second half. Soon, Young Harris found themselves already at a 14-point deficit going into the first media timeout. From then on, Young Harris slowly crawled their way back within reach of the Cavs, converting UVA Wise turnovers to crucial buckets down the stretch. A three-pointer from Josh Petteno with less than three minutes to go sparked a final Mountain Lion run that the Cavs couldn't respond to and Young Harris ran away with the final 86-76 victory.

Pradia led all players with 21 points, while Petteno put up 15 points.

As a team, Young Harris produced 20 points in the paint compared to UVA Wise's six points late in the second half.

Leading the way for the Cavaliers were Bradley Dean and Luke Lawson, putting up 15 points each. Dean added five assists and three rebounds while Lawson chipped in an assist and four rebounds.

Up next, the Cavaliers face their first conference opponent Tusculum on Wednesday, Dec. 7 with a 7:30 PM tipoff.