WISE – A crowd of around 1,000 kids from the local area was on hand earlier today to see the Highland Cavalier men's basketball team have one of their highest offensive outputs in recent years as they defeated Carolina Christian in non-conference action 108-56 Monday afternoon.
The 52 point margin is the largest ever in the program's NCAA Division II era, the largest to ever happen in the Prior Convocation Center, and the fifth highest overall. The largest was 79 (115-36) Appalachian Bible College in the 1995-96 season. A 70 point (115-45) win over Southern Vermont happened in the 1990-91 season, followed by the 119-60 (59 point) win over Appalachian Bible in 1993-94 and the 56 point (114-58) win over Piedmont in 1984-85, then today's win. The next largest margin of victory in the Prior Center was a 47 point (100-53) win over Berea on Nov. 18, 2019.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Result: UVA Wise 108, Carolina Christian 56
Records: UVA Wise 6-5; Carolina Christian 0-13
Location: Wise, VA | The Quillen Court in the David J. Prior Convocation Center
HOW IT HAPPENED
- UVA Wise led from the start as
Bradley Dean hit a step-back three twelve seconds into the first half to give the Cavs the lead. A run midway through the first half extended the lead to 20 points, and the Cavs led 56-29 at the half.
- The Highland Cavaliers extended the lead in the second half, pulling ahead by 40 with 13:43 left in the game on a
Hensley Ward jumper in the paint. Coach
Blake Mellinger played 14 players and every one of them scored as UVA Wise rolled out to the 108-56 victory.
- Christian Briggs led the Centurions with 12 points, while Luke Garrett and Myles Randolph had ten points each. Antoine Corbin led the team in rebounds with nine.
GETTING WISE
- Ten Cavaliers had at least one career high statistic in the game, led by
Lav Cvetkovic' with 25 points, including five three-pointers.
-
Hensley Ward had 17 points and seven rebounds, while
Bradley Dean and
Evan Ramsey each added in 11 points apiece.
Jake Hatch also chipped in nine points.
- Ramsey led the team with nine rebounds and Dean had seven assists.
- The Cavs shot a season-high 52.9 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from behind the arc. They hit 21 three-pointers out of 49 attempts. They also out-rebounded CCU 55-31.
UP NEXT
The Cavs return to South Atlantic Conference play Wednesday evening when they host Mars Hill for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off on the Quillen Court. They then will close out the pre-Christmas portion of the season when they play at George Washington Sunday at Noon.
