Box Score

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Marcus Knott (Dearborn Heights, Mich.) dished out five assists and a season-high 14 points to keep the University of Charleston men's basketball just ahead of Urbana in an 83-72 win, Saturday night in Eddie King Gym.

Charleston (6-0) shot just 36 percent in the opening half as the visiting Blue Knights slipped out to a seven point advantage with just over seven minutes left before the break. Facing a determined opponent on their home floor the Golden Eagles went into lock down mode on the defensive side of the ball with a full court press.

The press resulted in 14 turnovers by Urbana directly leading to 16 points for UC, which combined with a strong presence under the rim allowed the home team to storm back turning the tides to a seven point (36-29) advantage at halftime. Leading scorer Paul "PJ" Reyes (Taylor, Mich.) was the only Golden Eagle in double-figures before the break with 11 points with most of his damage coming from the foul line (5-of-8). Just when it seemed that the depth from the University of Charleston bench was powerful enough head coach Mark Downey added yet another wrinkle for opponents to worry about with Kyle James (Mt. Hope, W.Va.). James came off the bench providing a lift for UC in the press defense to add five points with a perfect night shooting (1-1 FG & 2-2 FT).

In the second half, UC put some distance between the teams on the scoreboard grabbing a 13 point lead after back-to-back three point shots from names that won't register many shots from behind the arc this season. Post players Eladio Espinosa (Norlina, N.C.) and Marco Richardson (Canton, Ohio) each nailed shots from behind the arc showing the shooting danger the Golden Eagles pose throughout their lineup.

Urbana put together an 11-to-3 run with 11 minutes left to play as their last gasp at getting back in the game, but point guards Knott and Philip Outley (West Monroe, La.) grabbed back-to-back steals and breakaway layups to again extend the UC lead. The Blue Knights would not threaten in the game again with the Golden Eagles hitting 81 percent of their free throws (17-of-21) down the stretch sealing the game at 83-72.

Reyes led all scorers for the University of Charleston with 21 points and four rebounds. Richardson joined Knott as a double-digit scorer with 12 points and five rebounds.

The win leads the Golden Eagles into a key Atlantic Region and West Virginia Conference matchup against No. 6 ranked West Liberty on Thursday, Dec. 1 at 8:00 pm. Fans are encouraged to wear gold on Thursday as the Golden Eagles Gold Rush the Hilltoppers. Tickets for the contest go on sale Monday morning, fans can save $2.00 per ticket by purchasing their tickets prior to gameday online using promo code "WINUC". A limited supply of reserved floor seat remain on sale for the game only at www.ucgoldeneagles.com.