After a 99-86 win over Mars Hill on Wednesday, UVA Wise looks to continue its good fortune in conference play as the Cavs travel to Hickory, N.C. Saturday to take on the Bears of Lenoir-Rhyne.

UVA WISE NEWS AND NOTES

>> Sophomore guard Zion Fruster exploded in the best game of his career Wednesday night against Mars Hill. With 34 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists he was just three helpers shy of what would've been the first Cavalier triple-double since 2011. All three marks were career highs along with his 10 made field goals and 13 made free throws as he was a perfect 13-for-13 at the line.

As a team, UVA Wise had its best shooting outing of the season. With a 99-86 victory, UVA Wise scored 99+ points for the third time this season. The Cavs went 34-for-57 (59.6 percent) from the floor, 13-for-24 (54.2 percent) from deep and 18-for-19 (94.7 percent) at the charity stripe. 59.6 percent on field goals is the second best in a game this season for the Cavs while their performances from beyond the arc and at the free throw line were both single-game highs this year.

The performance was proof positive indicating how successful the Cavalier offense has been this season. UVA Wise now leads the South Atlantic Conference and ranks No. 5 in the nation in effective field goal percentage at 59.7 percent. With 25 assists on 34 field goals, the Cavs are now up to 19 assists per game which is second in the SAC and No. 7 among all of NCAA Division II. The Cavs also lead the conference in field goal percentage at 51.1, ranking No. 13 nationally.

It's not just the Cavs' offense that has been impressive this season, on defense UVA Wise leads the league in three-point percentage defense allowing opponents to convert on just 33.3 percent of triples. The Cavs are also forcing 14.4 turnovers per game which ranks fourth in the conference.

UVA Wise will look to grab its third win in eight tries against Lenoir-Rhyne when it makes the trip to Hickory on Saturday. As the full slate of conference games is under way, the Cavs and Bears are tied in the conference standings at 3-2. UVA Wise is 1-2 all-time in Hickory against Lenoir-Rhyne and won the most recent contest against LR 90-68 last year.
 

ABOUT THE LENOIR-RHYNE BEARS

>> Lenoir-Rhyne enters Saturday's game against UVA Wise following consecutive losses to Emmanuel and Limestone. The pair of losses come after a four-game win streak for the Bears that included three wins over SAC opponents (Emory & Henry, Mars Hill, Coker).

Lenoir-Rhyne boasts the conference's best defense through 13 games this year. The Bears lead the league in opponent points per game allowing an average of just 72.0 points every night. LR also ranks second in the conference in both opponent field goal percentage at 42.3 percent and opponent three-point percentage at 33.6 percent. The Bears are also one of the better rebounding teams in the league, ranking third with a positive margin of 1.9 rebounds per game.

Lenoir-Rhyne has four players averaging double figures in scoring offensively, led by graduate guard Nas Tyson at 15.0 points per game. Tyson did not start the season hot for the Bears, scoring just eight points in the first two games, but he's scored 10+ points in every game since including a career-high 28 points in an 83-76 loss at Converse. Tyson is shooting 50.7 percent from the floor this season, good enough for sixth in the SAC.

Despite having five losses on the season, Lenoir-Rhyne's opponents (Chowan, Converse, Catawba, Emmanuel, Limestone) in said losses are a combined 41-18 this season. Three of the five losses have come by six points or less as well.

The Bears are coached by Everick Sullivan who owns a 94-103 record in eight seasons with Lenoir-Rhyne. In his head coaching career, Sullivan has been only with the Bears having taken over the program in 2016 after spending four seasons as an assistant coach at Georgia State University.