Box Score CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Charleston withstood a late game comeback by West Virginia State University Saturday for a 65-64 win and secured a third place MEC regular season finish.
Junior point guard Chyress Lockhart led Charleston in scoring with 22 points on 8-for-16 shooting and connected on three of her five attempts from behind the arc. She added six assists and three steals without turning the ball over in her 39 minutes of action.Â
Senior forward Tianni Kelly had one of her best games of the season in her final regular season game for the Golden Eagles scoring 13 points on 60% shooting and adding two blocks. DJ Reddix was UC's spark off the bench, chipping in nine points in 19 minutes of work.
WV State was led Asia Greenleaf's 19 points and eight rebounds followed by MEC Player of the Year Candidate Lexy Carson who finished with 17 points and eight rebounds, playing all 40 minutes.
Charleston led by as many as 15 points nearly midway through the second half before WV State rallied for a frantic final few minutes. Trailing by 1, Carson drove the length of the floor with 4.8 seconds and managed to get off a short range attempt just as the buzzer sounded but the ball rolled just off the side of the rim as the Yellow Jacket women came up just short in falling 65-64 to the Golden Eagles in the first game in the Walker Convocation Center.
UC had taken a five point lead, 65-60, with 1:37 to play but WVSU's Greenleaf hit back-to-back buckets to narrow the gap. Charleston missed on their next possession as the shot clock expired and a jump ball resulted on the scramble for the rebound with possession going to WVSU setting up Carson's final attempt.
Charleston finished the regular season with a 19-7 overall record and 15-7 in Mountain East Conference play. UC ended the season on a five game win streak to finish third in the inaugural season of the MEC. By finishing third the Golden Eagles earned a first round bye and will play the winner of Urbana vs. Shepherd Thursday at 2:15 at the Charleston Civic Center.
