Box Score
WISE, Va. – Junior guard Austin Cunningham (Vincent, Ohio/Warren Local/Ohio Valley) scored 20 points and freshman guard Naim Muhammad (Waldorf, Md./North Point) added 19 to lead Shepherd University to a 77-69 win over UVa-Wise in MEC men's basketball action at UVa-Wise on Thursday.
Cunningham was 7-of-10 from the floor with a 1-of-3 performance from beyond the arc with a 5-of-7 effort at the charity stripe. He added five assists and four rebounds. Muhammad was 9-of-11 from the floor with a 1-of-2 outing at the foul line. He also had six assists, six rebounds, three steals and a blocked shot.
Matt Day had a game-high 26 points and Javon Moore added 22 points and 10 rebounds to pace the Cavaliers. Deon Boyce added 13 points and a game-high 16 boards.
Shepherd had a 32-30 lead at the break as Muhammad (11 first half points) scored on a dunk with four seconds left to break a 30-30 tie.
The game featured 14 lead changes and seven ties. Shepherd took the lead for good at 54-52 on a jumper by Cunningham with 9:13 remaining. The Cavaliers got to within a point at 58-57 with 7:11 left, but would get no closer.
Shepherd shot 56.3 percent (27-48) from the floor with a 28.6 percent (4-14) effort from three-point range. The Rams hit on 19-of-23 free throws (82.6 percent).
UVa-Wise shot 34.8 percent (23-66) from the floor with a 8-of-27 effort (29.6 percent) from beyond the arc. The Cavaliers connected on 15-of-21 free throws (71.4 percent).
UVa-Wise had a 40-30 edge on the boards. The Rams forced 11 turnovers and committed 14.
Shepherd improves to 18-7, 13-6 in conference action, while UVA-Wise drops to 9-14, 6-13. The Rams return to action on Saturday when they travel to Concord for a 4 p.m. game.
