Box Score

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - The University of Charleston men's basketball team suffered their first loss of the season as Shepherd hit key free-throws down the stretch in overtime to hold on for a 80-74 win, Saturday afternoon.

UC (2-1, 0-1) came into the game short-handed without starting point guard Terrell Lipkins, who was home in Canton, OH tending to family matters, yet the Golden Eagles came off the opening tip right where they left off from their last game in Florida hitting shot-after-shot. Charleston found the bottom of the net on 58 percent of their shots in the first half to slip away to a 38-31 advantage headed into halftime.

The narrow advantage slipped away quickly for the Golden Eagles in the second half as Shepherd hit 57 percent of their shots (13-of-23), including 67 percent from behind the arc. Brantley Osborne poured in three-point shots for the Rams as they pulled away by six points with under two minutes left in the game.

A pair of free throws by Aleksander Kesic (Belgrade, Serbia) with 59 seconds remaining were the final points for UC in regulation as they were unable to convert the game's final possession for the win at the buzzer, which forced the extra period to decide a winner.

Production from the University of Charleston bench was meak, which showed in the final five minutes of play as the Golden Eagle starters struggled to find their legs through the final clicks. UC fell behind by one possession in overtime and were unable to make up the difference as they hit just 1-of-4 three pointers down the stretch, while Shepherd went 7-for-8 from the charity stripe to seal the WVIAC victory.

"I'm proud of our starters fighting through without Robbie or Terrell today, but we have to get more production from our bench to compete at a high level." said head coach Mark Downey. "Our guys continued to fight and we definately got better today. Guys were asked to do things they don't normally do and I'm proud of how they fought through adversity. We had a chance to win the game with the final shot and thats about the best you could ask for."

Charleston held a 42-32 advantage on the boards, but SU countered with 11 three-pointers to nine by UC which was the difference on the scoreboard.

Kesic paced the offensive attack for the Golden Eagles with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Evan Faulkner (Sandyhook, Ky.) followed just behind at 16 points and four assists. Newcomer Corey Jackson (Louisville, KY) had a statement game by providing14 points, seven rebounds and eight assists.

UC returns home for their next contest on Tuesday, Dec. 4 when they faceoff against Bluefield (Va.) at Eddie King Gym.