CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The University of Charleston men’s basketball team have showed all season long they know how to score. The problem has been holding leads late into the game, but they were able to put in a full 40-minute effort Saturday night against conference opponent Seton Hill to snap a five-game losing skid.
Charleston (4-7, 2-5) charged out of the gate to set a blazing pace to the game early behind the guard play of Jon Liggins (Euclid, Ohio/Cuyahoga CC) and newcomer Philip Outley (West Monroe, La./South Plains College) to take a quick 19-9 advantage less than seven minutes into the contest. The game was the first in a Golden Eagle uniform for Outley who was cleared to play by the NCAA just hours before the contest.
The Golden Eagles dominance in the paint helped UC extend it lead to as much as 19 points with five minutes left before the break, before settling for a 41-28 advantage after the first half. In the opening stanza, Charleston showed glimpses of what has been expected all season by outscoring Seton Hill (7-7, 3-4) 24-12 in the paint, while also owning a 15-7 differential on second chance points and a 10-5 advantage off the bench. Overall, the first half was the dominance crowds in Eddie King Gym have waited for this season.
The second half did not follow the same storyline as the first as Charleston battled against itself to avoid the late game letdown that has plagued them all season long. The Griffins rolled out of the break determined to restore their inside presence with the duo of 6-9 center Oliver Lewinson and 6-7 forward Ozren Bjelogrlic. SHU worked the ball inside consistently, while forcing tough shots for Charleston to scrape their way back within two points with 10:41 left to play.
UC countered the skyscrapers of Seton Hill with its own force of Ibrahim Marone (Trotwood, Ohio/Madison) and rebounding leader John White (Cleveland, Ohio/St. Peter Chanel), which proved to work as Charleston once again built its lead back to double-digits (69-59) with just five minutes remaining.
The suspense did not leave the building though as the Golden Eagles struggled against their old ways to learn how to win in the face of adversity as SHU made its final run behind the hot-hand of leading scorer Chris Giles to get within one point with just 20 seconds to play. The new guard duo of Outley and Liggins helped UC hold on for their second conference win of the season as they hit 3-of-4 free throws in the final 18 seconds to secure the 83-79 upset.
Giles led SHU with 17 points and six rebounds, while Lewinson joined Kellen Holmes and Matt Miller with 16 points apiece. For the Golden Eagles, Liggins continued on his average with 18 points with James Eversley (Richmond, Va./VCU) and Marco Richardson (Canton, Ohio/Northland CC) following close behind at 14 points. White put his fourth double-double in the books with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
The Golden Eagles get back on the court on Monday, January 10 for a 7:30 pm matchup at conference opponent Glenville State.
