CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The Golden Eagles fell 89-98 on Saturday night to the visiting Hilltoppers from West Liberty University, taking their record to 9-5.
 
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE –University of Charleston 89, West Liberty 98
LOCATION – Charleston, W.va.
RECORDS – Charleston (9-5); West Liberty (11-2)

HOW IT HAPPENED
Junior Drew Rackley had the first two points of the game, giving UC the lead to start. However, the Hilltoppers from West Liberty answered right back, showing what was to come the rest of the first half. The Golden Eagles went 10-20 from the field goal line, where the Hilltoppers went 21-37. Charleston had 16 rebounds compared to West Liberty's 14. UC was 80% successful from the free throw line going 16-20, where the Hilltoppers were 85% successful going 6-7. Charleson's Lamont McManus had the most points for Charleston in the first half of play with 9. The Golden Eagles could not pick up enough momentum to outscore the visiting Hilltoppers, trailing 37-51 heading into the half.
 
Starting the second half, the Golden Eagles began to close the gap between themselves and WLU. Though Charleston fought to top the visiting Hilltoppers, they were unable to take the lead during the second half. UC scored 52 points in the last 20 minutes, compared to West Liberty's 50. WLU was 57.7% successful on field goals, while Charleston was 53.3% successful. Charleston led in rebounds with 14, while WLU had 12. Charleston fell to West Liberty 89-98 on the day.


CHARLESTON INDIVIDUAL LEADERS 
Points- Drew Rackley (28)
Rebounds- Devon Robinson (9)
Assists- Seth O'Neal (3)
Steals- Drew Rackley, Devon Robinson, Seth O'Neal, Lamont McManus (1)

WLU INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Points- Dalton Bolton (25)
Rebounds- Eric Meininger (7)
Assists- Luke Dyer (5)
Steals- Luke Dyer (4)
 
UP NEXT
The Golden Eagles host the Bobcats from West Virginia Wesleyan College on Thursday, January 17^th, with tipoff set for 7:30 p.m.