Four Cavaliers Score in Double Figures as UVA Wise Earns Road Win at Limestone

​GAFFNEY, S.C. – Men's basketball picked up its first win of the season over Limestone University, 74-71, Saturday afternoon inside the Timken Center.
Redshirt junior Briggs Parris netted a season-high 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field. Junior Cameron Whiteside added 15 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the campaign.
Sophomore Drew Greene recorded a season-high 12 points off the bench while fellow sophomore Izeah Parker registered 11 points and added seven boards.
Limestone (1-9, 1-9 SAC) opened the game on a 10-2 run before the Cavaliers (1-10, 1-10 SAC) came back within four, 15-11 at the 13:43 mark on a three pointer by junior Kaeleb Carter.
Parris' two shots at the free throw line tied the game a little over a minute later before a bucket in the paint by Parker gave UVA Wise its first lead of the night.
Back-to-back three's by Greene pushed the Cavs to a six-point advantage midway through the half, leading Limestone 23-17.
An 14-0 run for the Saints put Limestone back on top, up 38-30 with less than a minute left in the frame.
A pair of free throws by Greene and a layup by Parris pulled UVA Wise back within four, 38-34, to end the half.
The Cavs shot 44.8 percent from the field to start with both teams going perfect at the line. UVA Wise won the first half rebound battle 18-16 and added 10 points from the bench.
A Parris three opened the scoring for the Cavs in the second half as Carter connected on two more at the stripe to tie the game at 38 apiece with 18:18 on the clock.
After trailing by as many as eight points, Limestone climbed back to get within one, 52-51, on a three-point play by Ayo Dada with just over 12 minutes left in the game.
The Saints Dada later hit a three to put Limestone back in front with 9:10 to play, 58-56.
The game went back and forth over the next several minutes as UVA Wise took a one-point lead on another three by Carter, 69-68, with 3:08 to go.
UVA Wise still led by one-point with two minutes on the clock, but a layup by Whiteside extended the margin to three with less than a minute to go as the Cavs held on to pick up their first win of the season, 74-71, over Limestone.
The Cavs shot 51.7 percent from the field and 40 percent from three in the second half.
Limestone's Ben Gahlert and Stephen Edoka each registered a double-double for the Saints on the night. Gahlert finished with a game-high 24 points and 10 rebounds while Edoka had 14 points and 10 boards.
UVA Wise ended the contest shooting 48.3 percent from the floor and 38.5 percent from three-point range. The Cavs finished with 32 points in the paint and shot 88.9 percent from the charity stripe.
Head coach Blake Mellinger's squad will return to Wise to take on Catawba College inside the David J. Prior Convocation Center Wednesday, February 3.