WISE -- UVA Wise sophomore
Madison Looney hit a key hook shot that tied the game late in regulation and the Cavs then outscored Lenoir-Rhyne 15-10 in overtime to defeat Lenoir-Rhyne 95-90 Saturday afternoon on the Quillen Court.
With the win, the Highland Cavs remain undefeated in South Atlantic Conference play, setting a new record for a conference start in the program's NCAA era and tying the 2005-06 squad, who opened the season 4-0 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference.
It is the Cavs' second straight win over the Bears, and their fifth in a row in Wise.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Result: UVA Wise 95, Lenoir-Rhyne 90
Records: UVA Wise (7-2, 4-0 SAC); Lenoir-Rhyne (5-4, 2-2 SAC)
Location: Wise, VA | The Quillen Court in the David J. Prior Convocation Center
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The first quarter saw a back-and-forth contest between the Cavs and Lenoir-Rhyne, ending in a 22-22 tie. The Bears took an early lead with a layup from Lauren Arnold and a three-pointer by Elyseia Brown, both assisted by Amiya Porter. UVA Wise's
Madison Looney responded with a jumper at 6:54, cutting the deficit to two points. The lead see-sawed through the rest of the period, with
Jalie Ruehling contributing a key layup at 5:07. The quarter concluded dramatically as
Izzy Proffitt sank a three-pointer with just one second remaining, leveling the score.
- Lenoir-Rhyne narrowly outscored the Highland Cavaliers, 18-17, in a tense second quarter. The quarter featured back-and-forth scoring, beginning with Looney's layup at 9:15, briefly giving the Cavs a two-point lead. The Bears' Elyseia Brown responded with a three-pointer, and Aaliyah El tied the game with two free throws at 8:11. After the Cavs surged ahead to a four point lead, Lenoir-Rhyne tied the game and the teams traded baskets until the end of the half. In the closing seconds, Abigail Brown secured the lead for Lenoir-Rhyne with a jumper, ending the quarter with the Bears ahead, 40-39.
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Caroline Mullins made a defensive rebound and followed with a layup that tied the game at 43-43 early in the third quarter. Moments later, Mullins capitalized on a fast-break opportunity to give the Cavaliers a brief lead at 45-43. The Bears responded with a three-pointer from Abigail Brown, assisted by Amiya Porter, to regain the lead at 47-45. The two teams once traded scoring runs throughout the quarter, with neither team leading by more than three points, until
Shelby Higgins sank a last-minute layup to tie the game at 60-60. However, a jumper by Madilyn Winterton in the final second, assisted by Aaliyah El, gave the Bears the 62-61 lead at the end of the third.
- The final quarter saw intense exchanges between the Cavs and the Bears, ending in an 80-80 tie. Higgins of UVA Wise opened with a layup at 8:42, assisted by
Kyndra West, followed soon afterwards by a three-pointer to keep the game close.
Alissa Cheek then contributed a crucial three-pointer at 5:56, putting the Cavaliers ahead by five. The Bears roared back and Aaliyah El tied the game at 75-75 with two free throws at 4:12. With just 52 seconds left, Looney's jumper brought the score even again at 80-80. The game ended with a missed jumper by Mullins, leaving both teams deadlocked at the end of regulation.
- The Bears won the opening tip-off of overtime and Btown scored soon afterward. Seconds later, with 4:31 remaining, Cheek leveled the score at 82-82 with a layup, assisted by Looney.
Mia Nienaber then propelled the Highland Cavaliers ahead, scoring a layup and converting a free throw after being fouled by Trista Charles, extending the lead to 85-82. The Cavs then took a four point lead, and Mullins played a critical role in the closing moments, hitting crucial free throws to solidify the win. The Bears' cut the lead to 92-90 with Winterton's two free throws with 10 seconds left, but Mullins hit three of four free throws down the stretch to seal the 95-90 victory.
GETTING WISE
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Madison Looney led all players as she tied her career high with 22 points off of 10-18 shooting from the field and 2-2 from the free throw line. She also pulled down six rebounds, four assists and two steals. Looney ranks third in the SAC in field goal percentage, shooting 54.4 percent.
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Caroline Mullins was just shy of a double-double as she scored 18 points while going 4-6 from the field and 10-15 from the free throw line. She also had nine rebounds and five assists. She currently is second in the SAC in points per game (20.6) and rebounds per game (10.6).
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Alissa Cheek had fourteen points, three steals, and three assists. She ranks fifth in the SAC in three-point percentage (37.9) and assists (32).
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Jalie Ruehling led all players as she tied her career high in rebounds with 14. She also scored eight points and had two steals.
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Mia Nienaber scored eleven points and had five rebounds and three assists.
- The Cavs hit 50.7 from the field and 33.3 percent from three-point range for the game. They also out-rebounded the Bears 45-43 and dominated the paint with 52 points compared to the Bears' 36.
- The Bears had five players score in double figures, led by Abigail Brown's 19 points and six blocks. Madilyn Winterton had 13 points and a team-high ten rebounds.
UP NEXT
The Cavs will travel to Jefferson City, Tennessee, to face Carson-Newman on Wednesday, Dec. 17. Tip off is set for 5:30 p.m. in Holt Fieldhouse. The Eagles are currently 6-3 overall and 3-1 in SAC play after defeating Anderson earlier today 91-66.
