Box Score

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - A ferocious defensive effort vaulted the University of Charleston women's basketball team to a 93-76 victory over Slippery Rock to open the Adam Collins era, Saturday night in Eddie King Gym.

Charleston (1-0) came out of the gate pressing full court and firing from behind the arc to run out to a double-digit advantage after only seven minutes of play. UC continued their style of play working through early season jitters, yet holding The Rock at arms length with the deep ball. A jumper by Chelsea Chambers (Columbus, OH) with 6:55 remaining in the opening stanza handed the home team a 30-16 lead.

SRU (1-2) adjusted to the physical play to make a run late in the first-half as they capitalized on mistakes by the Golden Eagles to score 19 points off turnovers as the teams went into the break with the University of Charleston ahead 35-33.

Coming out of the locker room Slippery Rock continued their aggressive style of play in the paint against the smaller UC lineup, which led to the visitors first and only lead on the contest coming with 12:33 left in the game.

A momentum shift came when Ashley Milligan converted a three-point play after collecting an offensive rebound to knot the game at 54-54. With the teams squaring off in a tight contest LeAnne Ross (Marietta, OH) and Chelsea Brumby (Chandler, AZ) came alive with their three-point game to bury SRU under a constant barrage.

Foul shots by Nichole Perry (Poseyville, IN) capped a 9-0 run by the home team with just over two minutes left in the contest, which put Charleston ahead for good. Solid foul shooting and a pair of three-point shots put the game away in the final minute of play as UC cruised through the last clicks of the clock for the 93-76 victory.

The win gives head coach Adam Collins his first win with the Golden Eagles. As a team Charleston shot 43 percent from the floor with 13-of-31 three-point attempts finding the bottom of the net.

Ross paced the scoring effort by UC with 20 points and six rebounds, while Perry found herself running the offense after Chrissy Keir (Savreville, NJ) went down with an injury after only 15 minutes of play. Perry flourished in the fill-in role with 19 points and four assists in a team-high 31 minutes of action.

Transfer Jessi Cowden (Tomball, TX) helped to lead the new look Golden Eagles by showing the younger players the toughness and speed that Collins expects leading to 15 points and six rebounds, while Kayla Dozier (Alpharetta, GA) rounded out the double-digit scorers at 10 points and six rebounds.

Twelve players saw action for the University of Charleston in the win with the bench accounting for 47 points.

UC doesn't get much rest as they open West Virginia Conference play on Tuesday night Nov. 20 with a 5:30 pm matchup against Davis & Elkins.