WISE, Va. –  Senior forward Morgan McDonald (Inwood, W.Va./Musselman) and senior guard Austin Cunningham (Vincent, Ohio/Warren Local/Ohio Valley) each scored 23 points to lead Shepherd University to an 80-65 win over UVa-Wise in MEC men's basketball action at UVa-Wise on Saturday.

McDonald hit on 8-of-11 field goals with a 2-of-4 effort from three point range. He was 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. McDonald recorded his second double-double of the season as he grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.

Cunningham connected on 8-of-12 shots from the floor with a 2-of-4 performance from beyond the arc. He hit on 5-of-6 free throws. Cunningham also dished out a team-high five assists.

Freshman forward AJ Carr (Fairfax, Va./St. James School) had 12 points and posted a game-high three blocked shots.

Matt Day and Philip Owens II each scored 19 points to pace the Cavaliers.

The game was tied at 25-all at halftime.

The Rams opened the second half on an 18-2 run to take control of the contest. Cunningham had six points and McDonald added five to fuel the run.

Shepherd hit on 29-of-53 field goals (54.7 percent) with a 7-of-14 (50 percent) effort from three-point range. The Rams drained 15-of-23 free throws (65.2 percent)

UVa-Wise connected on 21-of-64 field goals (32.8 percent) with a 13-of-37 effort (35.1 percent) from beyond the arc. The Cavaliers were 10-of-15 from the foul line (66.7 percent).

Shepherd had a 39-35 advantage on the boards. The Rams forced 14 turnovers and committed 15.

Shepherd improves to 10-4, 5-3 in MEC play, while UVa-Wise falls to 1-12, 0-8. The Rams return to action on Monday when they travel to Concord for a 7:30 p.m. contest.