With a win Wednesday, the Cavs can go 2-0 on the season against Southwest Virginia rival Emory & Henry.

UVA WISE NEWS AND NOTES

>> For the first time this season, the Cavs are currently on a three-game losing streak after dropping an 85-67 loss to Catawba on Saturday. Despite the loss, the Cavs benefited from an impressive performance from sophomore guard Calen Lightford.

Lightford recorded two season-highs with 18 points and six rebounds while tying his career high with three steals. Lightford went 5-for-11 from the field and for the seventh time in his career had four or more made threes with a 4-for-9 outing beyond the arc. Lightford has been big for the Cavs in the last four games. In that stretch he's averaging 15.3 points per game and shooting 50 percent (16-for-32) from the floor and a shocking 53.8 percent (14-for-26) from downtown.

For just the fourth time this season, the Cavs lost a game in which they made 10 or more three-pointers after going 11-of-27 (40.7 percent) from deep against the Indians. Along with Lightford, freshman Carmelo Pacheco knocked down a trio of triples, finishing with 13 points on 3-for-6 shooting from downtown. Additionally, redshirt junior guard Isaiah McAmis also made three shots from downtown as he went 3-for-5 from deep to contribute to his 11 points on the night.

As the Cavs get ready for their historic rivalry matchup with Emory & Henry, it's worth noting how successful UVA Wise has been against its in-state foe of late. Emory & Henry leads the all-time series 22-18 over the Cavs, but UVA Wise has won three straight against the Wasps and four of the last five contests which includes three wins on the road. Emory & Henry's last win over the Cavs came in Wise back in January of 2022.

The Cavs will look to utilize their prolific shooting to down the Wasps Wednesday. UVA Wise currently ranks in the top 25 nationally in field goal percentage (49.6 percent), three-point percentage (38.9 percent), three-pointers per game (10.3) and effective field goal percentage (58.0 percent). The Cavs have also been one of the best passing teams nationally this season ranking No. 14 in NCAA Division II in assists per game (17.9) and No. 27 across the nation in A:TO ratio (1.39).
 

ABOUT THE EMORY & HENRY WASPS

>> Emory & Henry enters Wednesday's rivalry contest reeling on an eight-game losing streak. The Wasps last win was an 80-72 victory over Mars Hill back on Dec. 16, just one game after UVA Wise defeated Emory & Henry 77-75 on the road in the two team's first meeting this season.

Emory & Henry's eight-game losing streak is of historic proportions for the Wasps. It's the worst losing streak since they also dropped eight contests in a row during the 2020 COVID season. The Wasps have not lost more than eight games since the 2013-14 season in which they lost a shocking 20 consecutive outings from Nov. 20 - Feb. 15.

With the losing streak, the Wasps now sit in last place in the South Atlantic Conference standings with a 1-10 record in conference play. Emory & Henry's Preseason All-Conference selection duo of juniors Gabe Brown and Jake Moynihan have played well for the Wasps this season. Brown, who led his team with 19 points in the first matchup against the Cavs, leads Emory & Henry in scoring at 13.4 points per game. Moynihan is not far behind at 10.9 points per game while ranking second on the team at 5.3 rebounds per game.

As a team, Emory & Henry is one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the SAC. They rank second in the league in both offensive rebounds per game (13.2) and offensive rebounding percentage (35.7 percent). However, the Wasps have conversely struggled to keep their opponents off the offensive glass, allowing an offensive board on 33.3 percent of opportunities, ranking 12th in the conference. Emory & Henry's defensive struggles continue beyond the three-point line as the Wasps allow opponents to convert on 40.3 percent of three-point attempts, ranking last in the league.