WISE, VA - The Lenoir-Rhyne men's basketball team dropped their first South Atlantic Conference game on Saturday, falling 76-67 at UVA Wise.
Junior Hodnett's season high 18 points was tops for the Bears.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: (RV) UVA Wise 76, (RV) Lenoir-Rhyne 67
Records: UVA Wise 9-2 (3-1 SAC), Lenoir-Rhyne 8-3 (3-1 SAC)
Location: David J. Prior Convocation Center | Wise, Va.
STORY OF THE GAME:
- Down early, two Keyishon Miller free throws ignited a 8-0 Lenoir-Rhyne run to cut the Wise lead to 14-13.
- Tied at 30-30 late in the first half, Junior Hodnett made three straight buckets to give the Bears a 36-32 lead at the break.
- Sam Martin opened the second half with a dunk to give Lenoir-Rhyne a six point advantage.
- Leading 45-43 with 13:29 remaining in the game the Bears went cold, failing to make another field goal for nearly seven minutes.
- UVA Wise took advantage, extending their lead to 10.
- A mini-run from the Bears made it a four-point game with six minutes remaining, but UVA Wise made eight of their final nine field goals to seal the win.
STATS OF THE GAME:
- Junior Hodnett (18), Sam Martin (12), and Akili Evans (11) all finished in double figures for the Bears.
- Blessin Kimble nearly picked up a double double, tallying 10 rebounds and nine points.
- As a team the Bears shot 24-62 (38.7%) from the field and 5-20 (25%) from three.
- UVA Wise was 30-62 (48.4%) from the field and 5-18 (27.8%) from three.
- Both teams struggled from the foul line, shooting a combined 25-44.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- The Bears haven't beaten the Cavaliers on the road since February 16, 2022.
- Lenoir-Rhyne is 0-3 when scoring less than 70 points, and undefeated when scoring more.
- Both the Bears and Cavaliers sit a half game behind Anderson for tops in the SAC.
UP NEXT: Lenoir-Rhyne will hit the road on Wednesday to take on Wingate. The Bullodgs are 5-2 and hit the road to face off against Lincoln Memorial tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. Tip-off for Wednesday's contest is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
