(NORTH CANTON, Ohio) – Walsh had little trouble with Ohio Valley in a mutual season opener as it defeated its first conference rival 89-56 at Alumni Arena Friday evening. The Cavaliers exploded offensively and shot 54.5 percent for 48 points in the first half to take out the Fighting Scots.

A good chunk of that came from preseason All-GLIAC selection Trey Fletcher as he went 8-for-11 with a pair of threes for 19 points in the opening frame. He finished the game with 21 points and eight rebounds.

Of those 19, seven came during a stretch of a 16-4 run as Walsh took a 16-8 lead in the first six minutes of play. He added a couple of offensive rebounds that led to points and assisted on another basket during that time.

From there, the rest of the team also caught fire and it stayed lit throughout the game. Jameel Moore provided a spark off the bench as he scored 14 points with four 3-pointers as the second leading scorer in the game. Steven Carpenter scored 13, Conner Wess followed with 11 which also included three 3-pointers, and Chandler Vaudrin added 10 points and eight rebounds in his Cavalier debut.

Zac Carter was also impressive running the offense as he scored nine points and had seven assists. Defensively he pulled down four rebounds and made four steals.

On the opposite end, the Cavaliers defense did well limiting the Fighting Scots' offensive opportunities. Ohio Valley had just one scorer in double figures which came off the bench as Li Wenxuan pitched in 12.

Walsh forced Ohio Valley into the majority of its 26 turnovers and that translated into 31 points for the Maroon and Gold.

The Cavaliers now set their focus on arch rival Malone for the 53rd Annual Mayors' Cup. With Malone playing in the G-MAC a year early, the annual rivalry game has been moved up earlier in the season. Tip-off with the Pioneers is set for 7 p.m.