Wise, VA– In a tightly contested South Atlantic Conference game, the Limestone Saints men's basketball team suffered a narrow defeat on the road, falling to UVA-Wise with a final score of 79-74. This loss brings the Saints' 9-13, 6-12 SAC, The Cavilers move to a record of 14-8,11-7 SAC.

Key Players:

• Sirr Hughes (Cleveland Heights, Ohio) led the scoring with an impressive 29 points on 11-14 shooting from the field, including 4-5 from beyond the arc and 3-5 from the free-throw line. He also had 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals.
• Greg McKay (Nassau, Bahamas) had a strong performance, contributing 23 points with 8-14 shooting from the field, including 3-4 from three-point range and a perfect 4-4 from the free-throw line. He also grabbed 10 rebounds, earning a double-double.
• Trevon Payton (Lilburn, Ga.) scored 11 points on 4-13 shooting, including 3-8 from three-point range, and added 5 rebounds.
• Isayah Owens (Inman, S.C.) contributed 8 points on 4-10 shooting and also dished out 6 assists.

Story of the Game:

First Half:

•  Both teams exchanged baskets in the opening minutes.
•  The Saints took a three-point lead with less than 13 minutes remaining in the first half, courtesy of a three-pointer by McKay, making the score 15-12.
•  UVA-Wise hit a jumper in the paint, cutting Limestone's lead to 23-17.
•  With less than five minutes to go, Hughes found an open lane and made an easy layup, extending the Saints' lead to 30-23.
•  The Cavaliers trimmed the lead to one point with a minute to go.
•  Hughes responded with a layup on a fast break.
•  Ramsey from UVA-Wise made a tip-in layup with six seconds left, bringing the halftime score to 38-37 in favor of Limestone.

Second Half:

•  Limestone opened the half with a three-pointer from Payton.
•  Owens hit a jumper a few minutes later.
•  The Cavaliers made a dunk to tie the game at 45.
•  UVA-Wise took the lead with less than 12 minutes to go, 58-56.
•  Payton hit a three-pointer to cut the Cavaliers' lead to five.
•  Max Lidman made another dunk for UVA-Wise, putting them up by seven with less than six minutes remaining.
•  Limestone battled back, reducing the lead to three after McKay hit two free throws.
•  Despite the effort, UVA-Wise defended their lead and secured the 79-74 victory.

Up Next:
Limestone will return home to take on Wingate on Wednesday, Feb. 12, with the game starting at 7:30 p.m.