BRISTOL, TN – UVA Wise saw King use a second quarter surge to take a nine point lead before ramping up the pressure on both sides of the ball to grind down the Tornado and take the 81-64 win over their longtime rival Tuesday evening at the King Student Center Complex.
The team had a bit of surprise news on the way to the game as they learned that sophomore guard
Caroline Mullins had been named the WBCA/D2CIDA NCAA Division II National Player of the Week for her play last week in the Regional Crossover at USC Beaufort. Mullins becomes the first UVA Wise women's basketball player named National Player of the Week in the program's NCAA era.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Result: UVA Wise 81, King 64
Records: UVA Wise (3-0); King (0-3)
Location: Bristol, Tennessee | Student Center Complex
HOW IT HAPPENED
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Jalie Ruehling found
Emilea Preece open for a layup to give the Cavs an early lead. Ruehling continued to impact the game with a steal and a fastbreak layup, establishing a 4-0 advantage. The Tornado responded with Jaelyn West's successful free throws, followed by Alayna Smith's layup, putting King ahead.
Madison Looney helped the Highland Cavaliers regain momentum, scoring consecutively to tie the game at 10-10.
Mia Nienaber's three-pointer, assisted by
Grace Vyborny, later pushed UVA Wise to a 13-10 lead. The Tornado came back late, and the first quarter concluded with Le'Aije Ellington's jumper for King, securing a narrow 16-15 lead at the buzzer.
- King maintained pressure early in the second quarter, with Mary Elizabeth Fox scoring from the paint and the free-throw line to extend their lead to 19-15. The Cavs chipped away at the lead until
Alissa Cheek drained a three-pointer for UVA Wise, tying the game at 30. The team then had a pair of fast-break layups from Ruehling and Nienaber to give UVA Wise a 35-32 advantage. King narrowed the gap to 35-34 with a late jumper by Fox before the quarter concluded. The quarter ended with the Cavs outscoring King 20-18 to give them the 35-34 lead at the half.
- The Cavaliers outscored the Tornado 23-13 in the third quarter, turning a narrow contest into a more decisive lead. Looney contributed significantly with a series of successful free throws and a layup, extending Wise's advantage to 51-41 with 3:00 remaining.
Caroline Mullins, who had been held scoreless in the first half, exploded in the third quarter for nine of her game high 21 points and added a crucial three-pointer at 2:22, further widening the gap. Nienaber capped the quarter with a three-pointer in the final seconds, assisted by Ruehling, cementing a 58-47 lead going into the final quarter.
- In the fourth quarter, the Cavs extended their lead over King with a strong performance, securing a 23-17 scoring advantage in the quarter. Mullins was instrumental, contributing multiple layups and a free throw, starting with a layup at 9:42 that set the tone. Cheek added a three-pointer at 7:24, assisted by Ruehling, to give the Cavs their largest lead of the game up to that point. They would extend the lead to 20 points with 2:04 remaining.
Shelby Higgins capped the scoring for the Cavaliers with a three-pointer at 0:43, assisted by
Izzy Proffitt, solidifying their decisive victory with a final score of 81-64.
GETTING WISE
- Mullins scored all 21 of her points in the second half, including 12 in the fourth quarter. She also co-led the team with six rebounds.
- Looney had a career-high 19 points, including going 7-8 at the free throw line. She also had six rebounds to lead the team with Mullins.
- Ruehling also had a career night in scoring as she had eleven points. She also led the team with four steals and four assists.
- Nienaber hit double digits in scoring for the first time in her young career, scoring eleven points.
- The Cavs hit 43.1 percent from the field, 85.0 percent from the free throw line, and a blistering 42.1 percent from behind the three-point arc.
- UVA Wise opens the season at 3-0 for the first time since the 2022-23 season. Their third win that year? King.
- Mary Elizabeth Fox led the Tornado in scoring with 16 points, while two other King players had ten points apiece.
UP NEXT
The Highland Cavs will host Concord on Saturday, Nov. 22 in their home opener. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. on The Quillen Court. Tickets, live stats, and links to the broadcast can be found at www.uvawisecavs.com.
