WISE -- The UVA Wise men's basketball team overcame a six point second half deficit to take a double-digit lead and then held off a Lenoir-Rhyne run to claim the 76-67 South Atlantic Conference victory Saturday evening on the Quillen Court.
It was the Cavaliers' second win in a row over the Bears dating back to last season. Both teams received votes in the latest NABC Coaches Poll.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Result: UVA Wise 76, Lenoir-Rhyne 67
Records: UVA Wise (9-2, 3-1 SAC); Lenoir-Rhyne (8-3, 3-1 SAC)
Location: Wise, VA | The Quillen Court in the David J. Prior Convocation Center
HOW IT HAPPENED
- UVA Wise and Lenoir-Rhyne opened the game with a tight first half.
Kam Roberts initiated the scoring for the Highland Cavaliers with a jumper at 19:33, followed by
Evan Ramsey's two free throws to give the home team an early 4-0 edge. The Bears responded with a three-pointer by Junior Hodnett at 17:27, sparking a back-and-forth exchange that lasted much of the half. The Cavs held a brief lead at 28-26 after a layup by
Caden Giles with 3:48 remaining. However, Lenoir-Rhyne closed the half strong, with Hodnett contributing seven points in the final two minutes, giving them a 36-32 advantage at halftime.
- The Cavaliers then outscored the Bears 44-31 in the second half to finish with a 76-67 win. A Bear jumper gave them a six-point lead with 18:32 remaining. UVA Wise chipped away at the lead over the next few minutes, tying the game as part of a 13-2 run that shot them out to a seven-point lead. They extended their lead to 73-59 with 2:27 left following a pull up jumper by
Cy Hardy.
Yoro Diallo contributed significantly with a dunk at the 15-second mark, closing out the game. Lenoir-Rhyne's late efforts, including a last-second 3-pointer by Tyler Burraston, were insufficient to bridge the gap.
GETTING WISE
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Patrick Shelley led the Cavs in scoring with 17 points, going six of eight from the field, and had three steals and three assists.
- Reigning SAC Player of the Week
Yoro Diallo flirted with a double-double as he had 15 points and nine rebounds.
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Kolier Pruett had ten points and six rebounds to go along with three steals.
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Evan Ramsey also scored ten points and had six rebounds. He also had two blocks.
- UVA Wise outscored the Bears 42-34 in the paint, and held Lenoir-Rhyne to 38.7 percent shooting from the field while hitting 48.4 percent.
- Junior Hodnett led L-R with 18 points, while Blessin Kimble had ten rebounds.
UP NEXT
The Highland Cavaliers will travel to Jefferson City, Tennessee, to face Carson-Newman in a key SAC matchup on Wednesday, Dec. 17 at 7:30 p.m. The Eagles, who also received votes in the NABC Coaches Poll last week, fell to Anderson 94-80 earlier tonight.
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