MARS HILL, NC -- UVA Wise edged Mars Hill in a close contest, securing an 81-77 victory Wednesday evening after the Lions had a late charge to cut the lead to one in the final two minutes.
The game featured seven ties and two lead changes, with the Cavaliers capitalizing on 14 points off turnovers to clinch the win.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Result: UVA Wise 81, Mars Hill 77
Records: UVA Wise (12-3, 5-2 SAC); Mars Hill (8-5, 2-5 SAC)
Location: Mars Hill, NC | Stanford Arena
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Highland Cavaliers took an early lead, thanks to a layup by
Yoro Diallo. The Lions responded quickly, tying the score at 2-2 with a layup by Gabriel Erbeck. Diallo continued to be a key player for the Cavs as they pulled out to a double digit lead, contributing multiple layups and free throws. The half remained closely contested, with Mars Hill's Keenan Wilkins and Marvin Hires making plays to cut into the Highland Cavalier lead. MHU ended the half narrowly leading 35-34 after a late jumper by Hires with 47 seconds left was answered by a three-pointer from Diallo in the closing seconds.
- Mars Hill maintained a narrow lead early in the second half with Wilkins scoring a layup and a free throw to push the score to 38-34. The Cavs responded with
Evan Ramsey's offensive rebound and two free throws that helped spark a 11-2 run, highlighted by a fast-break dunk by Ramsey and a 3-pointer from
Cy Hardy, to take a 45-40 lead with 14:55 remaining. The Lions attempted to close the gap, but UVA Wise extended their lead to 16 points with five minutes remaining via key baskets from
Anderson Cummins and
Kam Roberts. The Lions mounted a late charge, cutting the lead to 72-71 with 1:50 left. Key baskets and free throws down the stretch by the Cavs eventually secured an 81-77 victory.
GETTING WISE
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Yoro Diallo led all scorers with 21 points. He also had seven rebounds and two assists.
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Cy Hardy scored 14 points off of 6-8 shooting from the field and three steals.
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Anderson Cummins had 14 points off of 5-8 shooting from the field and 3-5 shooting from the free throw line.
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Kam Roberts scored ten points and had five rebounds.
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Evan Ramsey had ten points, including a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line, and pulled down six rebounds.
- Both teams were evenly matched as they both shot in the 40 percent range from the field and tied 28-28 in rebounds.
- The win extends the Cavalier lead in the all-time series to 14-10.
UP NEXT
The Highland Cavaliers will travel to Salisbury, North Carolina, this weekend to face Catawba on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.
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