After a loss on Saturday night in the Cavaliers' conference opener to Wingate, 75-73, UVA Wise is back in the non-conference schedule as it welcomes NCCAA member Carolina University Wednesday night.

UVA WISE NEWS AND NOTES

>> The Cavaliers enter Wednesday's non-conference game against Carolina University after dropping their conference opener to Wingate 75-73 on Saturday. UVA Wise held an 11-point lead in the first half before surrendering the lead to the Bulldogs in the second half. Sophomore guard Zion Fruster had another good game in the loss with 15 points and tallying two career high marks with 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Junior guard Zy'Ever Wingfield also racked up 15 points while sophomore guard Patrick Shelley added 10 points as the final Cavalier in double figures.

Through 6 games, UVA Wise is one of the best shooting teams across the nation. The Cavs have an Effective FG% of 59.9 percent, ranking No. 12 among all NCAA D2 schools and No. 1 in the South Atlantic Conference. They also rank No. 1 in the SAC in FG% (51.5) and No. 2 in 3FG% (38.0). Both marks are in the top 40 across the country.

The Cavs have also been one of the best passing teams in the country this season, averaging 19.2 assists per game which ranks No. 14 nationally. They've also received significant contributions off the bench in the scoring department. With an average of 35.2 bench points per game, UVA Wise ranks No. 31 nationally in the category.

Fruster is off to a hot start for the Cavs in a number of different areas. He's the current leader in the SAC with 107 points scored this season. He also leads the conference in made field goals at 39 and ranks second in both assists (22) and steals (13). His defense ranks him in the top 40 of all NCAA D2 players in total steals. Fruster's quick hands defensively is paired with a team effort that ranks UVA Wise No. 43 in the country in turnovers forced per game as the Cavs are forcing opponents to cough up an average of 17.0 turnovers. 9.3 of those are steals for UVA Wise, slotting the Cavs at No. 45 in the country and No. 2 in the SAC in steals per game.

ABOUT THE CAROLINA BRUINS

>> Carolina travels to Wise with a 1-7 record this season having lost its last four contests. The Bruins are members of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) at the Division 1 level. They've played two games within the NCCAA so far, dropping each to Campbellsville University (Ky.) and Alice Lloyd college (Ky.).

The Bruins, while being rather proficient in scoring averaging 80.0 points per game, have struggled defensively to open the year. They are allowing 94.5 points per game which ranks No. 37 out of 41 NCCAA D1 member schools. One of the biggest issues on defense for Carolina is the efficiency at which its opponents are scoring. The Bruins' foes are converting on 54.1 percent of field goals, ranking Carolina's FG% defense at No. 39 out of 41 teams in the NCCAA Division I level.

Offensively, the Bruins do not score at a high clip from beyond the three-point line, making just 26.6 percent of their shots. However, 278 of Carolina's 590 field goal attempts come from downtown (47.1%), showing a willingness to try and score from deep range. The Bruins are averaging 34.8 three-point field goals per contest. For context, UVA Wise, which ranks No. 40 in NCAA D2, is putting up 26.2 threes each outing.

Carolina does have a number of individual players who can score the ball very well. The Bruins have four different scorers averaging double figures this season, led by sophomore guard Cameron Parker who is dropping 13.5 points per game. Additionally, junior forward Adam Claybourne is averaging 10.9 points per game and doing so at an efficient rate, shooting 61.7 percent from the floor. His field goal percentage currently ranks No. 9 among all scorers in NCCAA D1.

The Bruins are coached this season by Rapid City, S.D. native Jacob Heck. This season is Heck's second at the helm, after serving as an assistant coach with the program in 2020-21, then being promoted to associate head coach in 2021-22 before finally being named head coach last year. Heck is a former NCCAA athlete himself, having played basketball at Grace University in Omaha, Neb. from 2013-2016 where he was a two-time region champion and two-time NCCAA Scholar Athlete.