INSTITUTE, W.Va. - Senior John White scored a career-high 26 points but it was not enough to hold off WV State as the Golden Eagles fall by a score of 99-84, Saturday afternoon.

UC (17-10, 15-7) grabbed an early 4-0 lead, but the Yellow Jackets (24-3, 20-2) quickly showed why they are ranked No. 21 in the country as they raised the pace of the game to pull away to a 16 point lead.  Junior Jonathan Liggins provided most of the first half offense as he accounted for 11 of the team’s 28 points at break. WVSU took a 43-28 lead at half as the Golden Eagles managed only 11-of-32 (34.4%) shooting, which included 0-of-9 from behind the arc.

The second half saw the University of Charleston return to its strength by pounding the ball inside to total 44 points in the paint led by White and freshman James Eversley. UC found its mark as it shot 50 percent (17-of-34) after the break to cut into the Yellow Jacket lead to within seven points mid-way through the closing half, yet the first half deficit was too much to overcome. WV State traded baskets down the stretch and pressured UC into multiple turnovers to calm the Golden Eagle charge and seal the 99-84 win.

UC finished the afternoon shooting 42 percent (28-of-66), but a dismal 4-of-20 on three-point attempts. White led all scorers with his 26 points on 7-of-10 shooting and a perfect 11-of-11 from the free throw stripe. Liggins followed close behind with 21 points, while also finishing perfect from the charity stripe at 6-for-6. Eversley provided a great boost off the bench with 14 points and ten rebounds.

The Golden Eagles return to action on Tuesday, March 2 as they host Glenville State (7-20, 6-16) in the first round of the WVIAC tournament.