Charleston, W.Va.—The Golden Eagles gave the No. 3 ranked Hilltoppers from West Liberty all they could handle for first 20 minutes but couldn't put together a full 40 minutes for the upset as UC fell to the Toppers 87-63.
 
Charleston traded basket for basket with the Toppers in the first half which Charleston shot better than 60 percent from the floor in a tightly-played first 20 minutes that saw 4 ties and 9 lead changes with neither team leading by more than four points.  The Golden Eagles were able to keep the crowd energized with a pair of first half dunks and deep triples heading into the break trailing by only one, 36-35.
 
Four minutes into the second half, Charleston still found themselves down just four, 48-44, but a 13-0 run by the Toppers over a two-minute stretch seemed to take the air out of Charleston's sails with 13 minutes to play.  UC had one last run in them though, cutting a once 18-point deficit to just eight, 65-57, with seven minutes left on the game clock.  West Liberty would squash the comeback attempt by UC after connecting on two of their 18 made three's and eventually cruised to the 24-point, 87-63, win.
 
Elliott Cole led all scorers with 23 points for the Golden Eagles, draining five of his seven tries from behind the arc.  Justin Coleman turned in a double-double for Charleston, scoring 11 and grabbing 10 boards.
 
Dan Monteroso paced West Liberty with 21 points, all of which came in the second half.  Zach Grossenbacher chipped in 16 points and connected on four triples.
 
Things don't get any easier for the Golden Eagles as they play to host to No. 9 ranked Wheeling Jesuit on Saturday, tip-off slated for 4:00 p.m. at the H. Bernard Wehrle Sr. Athletic Arena.