EMORY, VA. – As rivalry games tend to go, UVA Wise (6-4, 2-2 SAC) emerged victorious with a 77-75 win in a highly intense, hotly contested and overly physical game with Southwest Virginia rival Emory & Henry (3-7, 0-3 SAC). 

From the jump, it was clear there was no love lost between the Cavs and the Wasps. It took 2:45 before either team scored as junior guard Jalen Leftwich opened up the scoring for Emory & Henry with a layup. 

From there, neither team could gain an edge in the first half. The largest lead on either side was a five-point Cavalier lead at 31-26 at the 4:24 mark after redshirt junior Isaiah McAmis knocked down a triple. 

After that bucket, the Wasps outscored the Cavs 10-5 to send both teams into the locker room tied at 36-36. 

The Cavs set the tone in the game with tremendous rim protection to limit Emory & Henry's chances in the first half. UVA Wise was credited with only three blocks at the break and finished the night with five blocks. 

A storied rivalry, UVA Wise entered Wednesday's matinee trailing 17-22 all-time against Emory & Henry but held a 3-1 record since 2021 and were 2-0 on the road. 

Those numbers improved to 4-1 and 3-0 in road games against the Wasps after the Cavs' victory. 

Out of halftime, the Wasps jumped out to a seven-point lead, 48-41, at the 16:06 mark. From there, the two teams would trade buckets as the Cavs struggled to come back facing a hostile crowd. 

With 12:02 left in the game, the Wasps still held a seven-point lead, their largest of the game, at 54-47. Then the Cavs turned up the tempo. 

Sophomore guard Zion Fruster would score five straight points for UVA Wise  to cut into the lead. Fruster finished the night with 21 points and six rebounds while shooting 9-for-16 from the floor. 

His solo five-point run pulled the Cavs within two points until senior guard Ben Bryson drilled a three pointer to give his team its first lead since the 3:10 mark in the first half. 

Bryson had a season-high 12 points in the win after starting just his third game this year in place of the injured freshman guard Carmelo Pacheco. 

UVA Wise had to play without Pacheco after he scored a career-high 21 points on 5-for-7 shooting from downtown in the previous game against Newberry. 

Pacheco is making a case to join the SAC All-Freshman Team at the end of the season. He's currently averaging 12.1 points per game, on 44.2 percent three-point shooting. Prior to Wednesday night, Pacheco had scored in double figures in five of the last six games for UVA Wise. 

While playing without Pacheco, UVA Wise welcomed junior guard Zy'Ever Wingfield who missed the last two games with an injury. 

Wingfield, perhaps his club's most athletic player, electrified the Cavalier faithful in attendance Wednesday night with a poster dunk over Emory & Henry's Cade Looney. 

After getting the ball on the wing, Wingfield drove towards the baseline. Unaware of his leaping ability, Looney attempted to contest Wingfield's shot. Wingfield neutralized that attempt by jumping right on top of Looney and throwing down a one-handed slam. 

The dunk not only gave UVA Wise late-game momentum, but it also awarded the Cavs a nine-point lead, the largest of the night, with 2:36 to play. 

Emory & Henry responded with an 8-0 run to cut the lead to just 73-72 for the Cavs. All eight points came at the free throw line and five came on one play. 

During an Emory & Henry possession sophomore Jacob Dar was fouled while shooting a three pointer. At the same time, Fruster and junior forward Jake Moynihan got tangled up and went to the floor. Fruster, frustrated with Moynihan, was given a technical foul and ejected from the game. Junior Gabe Brown made both technical free throws and Dar proceeded to make all three of his free throws to make it a one-point game. 

Both teams would miss their next shots. Leading by one, sophomore guard Calen Lightford was fouled intentionally and would head to the stripe with 24 seconds remaining. Lightford, who was just 8-for-9 at the free throw line this season, made both free throws to extend the Cavalier lead to three points. 

On the ensuing possession, Emory & Henry had a chance to tie the game twice. Dar missed a three pointer but Brown got the offensive rebound. With the clock ticking under 10 seconds, Dar had another shot to tie the game. Sophomore Patrick Shelley soared to block Dar's game-tying attempt. Bryson hustled for the rebound and snatched it before Emory & Henry could get another chance. He was fouled and headed to the free throw line with a chance to put the game on ice. 

The four-year senior calmly sank both free throws to give the Cavs a 77-72 lead with five seconds left and seal the game. After a deflection on the Wasps' final offensive possession awarded 0.4 seconds to Emory & Henry, Brown made a garbage-time three pointer to finish the game with 19 points and finalize the score at 77-75. 

The Cavs now get ready to face non-conference foe Chowan University on Monday, Dec. 18 at 4 p.m. at the David J. Prior Convocation Center.