WISE, Va. – The University of Virginia's College at Wise topped Fairmont State, 62-54, to open 2017. The Cavs led by as many as 18 in the second half before holding off FSU for an eight-point win.
Fairmont State slips to 5-6 overall and 2-3 in Mountain East Conference action. Virginia-Wise improves to 9-4 overall, including a 4-1 mark in league play.
The first half was a tale of two quarters as both teams shot over 50 percent from the field and battled to a 20-20 tie after one quarter of play. However, in the second quarter, the Falcons shot just 2-of-14 from the field and were limited to just seven points in the 10-minute frame. UVa-Wise continued to shot at a high percentage in the second quarter, going 7-of-14 (50%) from the field and outscoring the Falcons 16-7 in the quarter.
The Cavs dominated the paint in the opening half (22-8) and scored 17 points off FSU turnovers. The first half had three ties and eight lead changes, most of which were in the opening quarter of the game.
Leading 36-27 at the half, UVa-Wise opened the third quarter on an 11-2 run over the first 4:27 to grab an 18-point advantage. FSU closed out the quarter on a 10-5 spurt as the Cavs entered the fourth quarter with a 13-point advantage (52-39).
The Falcons trailed by as many as 17 in the fourth (5:46 mark) before FSU rallied late, cutting the UVa-Wise advantage to just seven with 39 second remaining, but the Falcons ran out of time and the Cavs wrapped up a 62-54 victory.
In the victory, UVa-Wise shot 46 percent from the floor and held a 38-26 advantage on the glass. The Falcons were limited to just 35.8 percent from the field (19-of-53).
The Falcons got a team-high 22 points from
Deidra Combs and 11 from
Emily Puskarich.
Amanda Ruffner was closing in on a double-double with eight points and eight boards.
Kayla Carey scored a team-high 20 points to lead the Cavs in the win. Wise also got 15 points from Mackenzie Cluesman and 10 from Alle Moore.
The Falcons will now prepare for a 5:30 p.m. tip at Concord University on Thursday evening.
