WISE – UVA Wise used a 10-0 start and never looked back in the 83-70 wire-to-wire historic win over South Atlantic Conference-leading Carson-Newman Wednesday evening. The win was the program's first-ever win over Carson-Newman.
Emilea Preece and
Alissa Cheek both had career high performances in the win, and the stingy Highland Cavalier defense held the SAC's third-leading scorer and reigning Player of the Week Jennifer Sullivan to one point.
The win was also a nice denouement to National Girls and Women in Sports Day, which acknowledges the accomplishments of female athletes, recognizes the influence of sports participation for women and girls, and honors the progress and advocation for equality for women in sports.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Result: UVA Wise 83, Carson-Newman 70
Records: UVA Wise (13-8, 10-5 SAC); Carson-Newman (16-5, 12-3 SAC)
Location: Wise, VA | David J. Prior Convocation Center
HOW IT HAPPENED
- UVA Wise started strong, with
Caroline Mullins contributing eight of the first ten Cavalier points.
Jalie Ruehling, celebrating her birthday today, added in the other basket as the Cavs shot out to the 10-0 lead. The Eagles rallied and cut the lead to 10-8 before Cheek stopped the run with a pull up jumper with 2:38 remaining. Then came Preece, who entered the game and immediately contributed with a three-pointer as Cheek drew the double-team on the perimeter and then dished it to Preece for the open shot. The Cavs closed the quarter with a Cheek three-pointer assisted by Mullins, giving the Cavaliers a 23-8 lead. They shot 40 percent from the field and 50 percent from behind the arc while holding the normally hot-shooting Eagles to 21 percent shooting from the field and 12.5 percent from three-point range.
- Another Preece three-pointer, assisted by Mullins, opened the Cavalier scoring in the second quarter. Cheek added six points, including two free throws and a jumper in the paint, to contribute to the team's scoring efforts. Another basket by Preece off a Cheek assists with 2:08 remaining gave the Cavs a 43-20 lead.
Mia Nienaber and
Kyndra West also played key roles, with West scoring consecutive baskets late in the quarter. Carson-Newman struggled to keep pace, despite Emily Gonzalez's efforts from the line and Keeleigh Rogers' late layup, to cut the lead to 43-25 at the half.
- Carson-Newman made their expected run in the third quarter, including a fast-break three-pointer by Caroline Hill at 8:52, assisted by Gonzalez, to reduce the deficit to 45-33. They later took advantage of a Cavalier scoring drought to cut the lead to seven after a Keeleigh Rogers offensive rebound and putback with 3:26 left. UVA Wise maintained their lead with key plays, including back-to-back three-pointers by Preece, to extend their advantage back to 52-38. Preece would score twice more down the stretch before a fast-break layup by Mullins with one second remaining secured a 69-53 lead at the end of the quarter.
- Carson-Newman never seriously threatened in the fourth quarter as the Cavs added to their lead before holding off one last run by C-N. Emily Gonzalez of Carson-Newman made an early impact with a jumper at 9:32 and a layup at 8:47, both in the paint, to help cut the lead to twelve points. Mullins then scored a layup and converted a free throw to extend the UVA Wise lead to 72-57 at 8:13. Cheek added crucial points from the free-throw line, hitting four consecutive free throws between 3:48 and 2:01. Although the Eagles outscored UVA Wise 17-14 in the quarter, it was not enough to close the gap, as the Cavaliers grabbed their first win over the Eagles, 83-70.
GETTING WISE
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Caroline Mullins led all scorers with 24 points and ten rebounds, including a solid 8-9 from the free throw line. She also had four assists and three steals.
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Emilea Preece scored a career-high 22 points, including a career-high six three-pointers. She also had four rebounds, two assists and three blocks. Her six three-pointers were a season high for the Cavs and are the most since
Caitlyn Ross' eight at Tusculum in her 47-point performance on Feb. 28, 2024.
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Alissa Cheek also had a career night, setting a new high total with her 17 points. She also had three rebounds and four assists.
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Mia Nienaber led all players with five assists in addition to her career-high eight rebounds and career-high three blocks.
- The Cavs out-rebounded C-N by a 43-37 margin and outshot the Eagles 44.1 percent to 37.9 percent. They also held the league leaders in three-pointers to 18.2 percent for the game and four total three-pointers, well below their seventh in the nation average of 9.1 per game.
- Emily Gonzalez led the Eagles with 20 points and Mattie Nuckolls added in 17. The UVA Wise defense held SAC Player of the Week and third-leading scorer to only one point as she went 0-10 from the field and 0-5 from three-point range, going 1-2 from the line.
PLUCKING THE EAGLES
- The win ends a 15-game losing streak to Carson-Newman. The teams played a home-and-home series in the 2000-01 season and did not play again until UVA Wise joined the SAC in the 2019-20 season.
- Prior to tonight, the closest the Cavs had come to defeating the Eagles was a 92-89 loss in the Prior Center on Feb. 10, 2021.
- In a way, the win represents a coming-of-age for the Cavs as they have now defeated every team in the SAC at least once.
UP NEXT
The Highland Cavaliers will seek to continue their momentum as they hit the road for a key SAC matchup against #25 Lenoir-Rhyne Saturday, at 2 p.m.
