WEST LIBERTY, W. VA – In its final game of 2023 and only non-conference road game of the season, UVA Wise (6-6, 2-2 SAC) fell to NABC No. 22 West Liberty (9-3, 4-1 MEC), 90-79.
The Cavs have dealt with multiple injuries in recent weeks and were again without two starters against the Hilltoppers.
Sophomore Patrick Shelley, who is averaging 12.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists and is shooting 42.5 percent from downtown, was unavailable for the Cavs along with freshman Carmelo Pacheco who is the Cavs' leading three-point shooter this season knocking down 44.2 percent of threes to contribute to his 12.1 points per game.
Up on the hill Saturday, UVA Wise head coach Blake Mellinger was forced to trot out his seventh unique starting lineup in just 12 games this season.
The Cavs had their work cut out for them facing a West Liberty team who ranks in the top 10 nationally in 11 different statistical categories. Still, UVA Wise held strong against its second top 25 opponent this season.
The first half saw a close contest in which the Cavs did a great job controlling the pace of the game.
West Liberty entered the contest averaging 101.5 points per game, the third most in the nation, but scored just 46 in the opening 20 minutes.
The Cavs had two blocks and five steals to limit the Hilltopper offense. UVA Wise also held West Liberty to just seven fast break points in the first half despite the Hilltoppers averaging 19.4 points in transition this season, another top 10 mark among NCAA Division II schools.
Still, West Liberty's vaunted three-point shooting allowed them to head into the break with a four-point lead. The Hilltoppers entered Saturday's contest averaging 12.5 made threes per game but exploded in the first half shooting 7-for-18 from downtown.
Senior guard Alek West knocked down a pair of triples to contribute to his 14 first half points. West's season-high before facing the Cavs was just 15 points.
Redshirt sophomore Joe'l Pettiford contributed 10 first-half points along with three rebounds and junior Zy'Ever Wingfield led the Cavs with 12 points at the break on 4-for-8 shooting. Wingfield did a little bit of everything in the opening stanza adding six rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal to his scoring output.
In the second half, UVA Wise came out firing by immediately retaking the lead at 53-52 behind buckets from Pettiford, Wingfield and sophomore guard Zion Fruster.
Unfortunately for the Cavs, it would be their last lead of the game.
As the second half trudged on, West Liberty kept growing its lead with full-court pressure that caused many issues for the Cavs.
West Liberty took advantage of 17 Cavalier turnovers for a whopping 31 points off turnovers in the game. The Hilltoppers also benefited from 43 bench points in the win.
The Hilltoppers were able to extend their lead to 17 points, the largest of the night, with just 2:25 left in the game.
West Liberty had five different scorers reach double figures, led by West who had a season-high 16 points.
For the Cavs, Wingfield continued off his impressive first half to finish with his most complete game of the season. He tied his career high in points with 21 on 8-for-15 shooting while setting new career-high marks in rebounds and assists with nine and six respectively. On defense, Wingfield added a block and two steals in the loss.
Pettiford added 15 points and eight rebounds while Fruster finished with 15 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Despite the loss, UVA Wise held West Liberty below its national-leading season average in a multitude of categories including three pointers attempted, three pointers made, fast break points, steals and turnovers forced.
The Cavs will now return home and to South Atlantic Conference play when they face Mars Hill (1-9, 0-3 SAC) on Wednesday, Jan. 30 at 7:30 p.m.
