INSTITUTE, W.Va. - The University of Charleston had a hard time shaking off the turkey and dressing it consumed a day earlier on Thanksgiving.
After a slow start to each half, the Golden Eagles' athleticism and strength finally won out in an 86-75 victory Friday evening over Virginia State on the opening day of the John Dickensheets Classic. A crowd of about 300 attended the round-robin-format tournament on the West Virginia State campus in Institute.
UC shot 50 percent and outrebounded Virginia State by 30 (55-25) to overcome 17 missed free throws and 17 turnovers.
The Golden Eagles fell behind 6-0 in the first couple of minutes, then used an 18-4 run toward the end of the opening half for a 45-34 advantage at the break. UC's lead evaporated in the first three minutes of the second half as Virginia State went on a 14-3 run to tie the game at 48-all with 16:58 to go.
It remained close until Malik Thomas banked in a jumper from the foul line, igniting a 12-4 run that helped UC build a 10-point lead with 4:37 left. The Golden Eagles made 6-of-10 foul shots in the final 1:45 to secure the victory and halt a two-game losing streak.
"We're not getting off to good starts either half,'' said Downey, who is in his first year with the Golden Eagles after guiding Arkansas Tech to a No. 1 national ranking in NCAA Division II last season. "I don't get it. A lot of our turnovers were boneheaded turnovers.
"It's really coming slow. I keep asking these guys, 'What are we waiting for? Why are we not buying in?' I tell them, 'If you listen to what we ask and just do it the right way all the time, this team could be special.' And it's got to be everybody, but we don't get everybody every night.''
UC senior swingman John White scored 14 points and grabbed 19 rebounds while senior forward James Eversley added 14 points and senior guard Jon Liggins had 13 points and seven assists. Golden Eagles senior centor Ibrahim Marone chipped in 13 points and five boards while junior point guard Marcus Knott added 11 points and five rebounds.
"They just don't understand the toughness we need to have,'' Downey said. "You see glimpses of it once every three or four possessions, but it's got to be every possession.''
Junior forward D'Angelo Johnson paced Virginia State with 19 points and six rebounds while freshman center Kevin Wiggins pitched in 13 points, four boards and two steals and senior guard Brandon Plummer had 12 points and four assists.
"They were real active on the glass,'' Virginia State coach George White said of UC. "They do a real good job pursuing rebounds. They're very tough to guard.
"Their shot selection I thought was very good. We really got back to our defensive basics at the start of the [second] half, but they wore us down a little bit and then second shots were a problem.''
UC will take on Bellarmine at 2 p.m. today as the Classic shifts to the Civic Center. Virginia State will play West Virginia State at approximately 4 p.m.
