CHARLESTON, W. Va. – The University of Charleston Golden Eagles Men's Basketball team (3-0, 0-0 MEC) defeated the Pioneers of Malone University (1-2, 0-0 GMAC) 92-86 on Wednesday evening on the John Dickinson Family Court at the Wehrle Innovation Center.

JUST THE BASICS

SCORE: Charleston 92 , Pioneers 86
LOCATION: Charleston, W. Va.
TEAM RECORDS: Charleston (3-0, 0-0 MEC), Malone (1-2, 0-0 GMAC)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

The first half of the contest jumped back and forth with a combined 16 lead changes, including seven in the first 8 minutes of play with Charleston holding a three-point lead at the first media timeout. With 7:45 remaining in the half, Charleston held a 29-28 lead before the Golden Eagles exploded for their largest lead with 1:16 remaining and UC leading 50-42. After a made three-point bucket from Pioneer Jaret Majestic, Charleston would take a 50-45 lead into halftime.
 
Seth O'Neal led all Charleston scorers at the half with 17 points while Lamont McManus contributed 11 of his own.
 
The Golden Eagles lead was extended to 11, with the score 61-50 with 14:47 remaining in the closing half following a pair of made three-point shots from Senior Guard Drew Rackley
 
The Pioneers would fight back, using a 14-4 run over the next three minutes to pull the score within one with 11:39 remaining. The game continued to bounce back and forth before Charleston took a seven-point advantage with 4:40 remaining in the contest. Malone continued to fight their way back, cutting the Golden Eagle lead to 83-80 with 2:08 remaining before a pair of free throws from Rackley extended the lead to five.
 
The Golden Eagles sealed the deal on a slam dunk from Devon Robinson to give UC the 92-86 victory.
 

Charleston Leaders (32-60, 53.3 percent from the field)
Drew Rackley - 26 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals
Lamont McManus – 24 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists
Seth O'Neal - 20 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals

Malone Leaders (34-54, 63.0 percent from the field)
Marcus Ernst – 22 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists
Jaret Majestic– 23 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists
Sehill Mouliom – 16 points, 4 rebounds
 
Up Next:
The Golden Eagles will return to the Wehrle Innovation Center Arena to face off against the Pioneers of Glenville State College on Tuesday, November 26^th with tip scheduled for 7:30 p.m.