Box Score

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Bluefield State nailed 18 three-point shots, but the No. 22 ranked University of Charleston men's basketball team rode out the storm with its depth to take a 100-88 victory in WVIAC Tournament first round action, Tuesday evening.

UC (24-5) stayed consistent with their play hitting 45 percent of their shots in the opening half and 47 percent in the second, but it was Bluefield State's (1-26) 66 percent shooting from behind the arc that put a scare into the No. 2 seeded Golden Eagles.

WVIAC All-Freshman selection Chase Morgan accounted for 28 points for BSC to keep his team within reach of the game for most of the night. The size difference that the University of Charleston dominated allowed the home team to book 14 second chance points in order to head into the locker room with a 50-40 edge midway through the game. In the opening stanza, Charleston's bench outscored the bench of Bluefield State 27-to-8.

The second half saw Charleston attack the paint with their size advantage utilizing big-men Eladio Espinosa (Norlina, N.C.) and Marco Richardson (Canton, Ohio) to take control of the contest. Espinosa exploded in the game for 19 points and 16 rebounds, while Richardson followed suit with 12 points and seven rebounds.

12 shots from behind the arc kept the University of Charleston from running away on the scoreboard, but the Eddie King Gym crowd was never rattled after halftime as the Golden Eagles countered with five treys of their own.

Xavier Humphrey (Wake Forest, N.C.) came off the bench to provide 14 points and eight rebounds, while finding himself on the floor for a team-high 30 minutes.

Brandon Ross (Chicago, Ill.) and WVIAC Player of the Year Paul "PJ" Reyes (Taylor, Mich.) each booked 13 points in the win to round out the double-digit scorers. Making his first career start Hayden Annett concluded the evening with nine points and an assist.

The victory advances Charleston to the second round of the West Virginia Conference Tournament at the Charleston Civic Center where they will matchup against Pitt-Johnstown on Thursday, March 1 at 3:00 pm.

This season UC swept the two-game series against the Mountain Cats with a 102-86 win at home, while sneaking out of Johnstown, Pa. after a 79-69 win.