MEN'S BASKETBALL

CHARLESTON, W. Va. – The University of Charleston Men's Basketball team will hit the road on Saturday as they travel to Concord University to take on the Mountain Lions in their MEC season opener with tip set for 4:00 p.m. Charleston (4-0, 0-0 MEC) comes into the weekend following a 66-58 defeat over Slippery Rock University last Saturday.
 
Last Time Out:
 
The first half went back and forth for the first ten minutes of the contest as the game was tied at 15-15 with 10:33 remaining in the opening quarter before Charleston went on a 7-0 run to take a 22-15 lead over the next three minutes of the half. A made three-pointer from Drew Rackley with just over three minutes remaining in the opening half extended the Golden Eagle lead to 10 and after a small run from The Rock, UC was able to take a 35-28 lead into halftime.
 
The Golden Eagles outshot the opposition from behind the arc, making 5 of their 15 attempted three-point shots while The Rock, who played a down-low, much more conservative style of basketball, shot just 2-of-7 from three in the opening half.
 
Charleston extended their lead to 14 with 16:38 remaining in the game after a made jumper from Lamont McManus to give UC their largest lead of the contest. The Golden Eagles found themselves ahead 50-36 with 11:26 remaining in the contest before The Rock put together a run of their own, going on a 13-2 run over the next six minutes of the game to cut the UC lead to three at 52-49.
 
The Golden Eagles would then extend their lead back to ten with 2:21 remaining before and Slippery Rock would cut the lead down to as little as six points before Charleston pulled out the 66-58 victory to move to 4-0 on the season.

Full Recap here

Opponent Outlook:
 
Concord comes into Saturdays' contest holding a 1-4 record on the season after falling in an exhibition match up to Division I Kent State on Thursday evening by the score of 89-59. Martin Kelly Jr. had for a team-high of 16 points as he canned 6-of-7 shooting and was perfect from three-point range in four attempts. Freshman guard Ethan Heller dropped in 14 points while Trey Brisco added 13 points.

Matchup History:
 
The Golden Eagles and Mountain Lions have faced off 21 times in their history, with the Charleston leading the series 12-9. In their last matchup, the Mountain Lions edged UC in the MEC Tournament 74-62 and won both matchups against the Golden Eagles last season. Charleston held a nine-game win streak from 2011-15 against the Mountain Lions but Concord has held the edge in recent years, victors in eight of the last 11 matchups from 2015-19.




 
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
 
CHARLESTON, W. Va. – The University of Charleston Women's Basketball team will travel to Athens, W. Va. on Saturday to play the front end of the Men's/Women's doubleheader with tip scheduled for 2:00 p.m. The Golden Eagles (3-1, 0-0 MEC) come into the weekend following a 71-64 overtime victory over the Thorobreds of Kentucky State University on Monday at the Wehrle Innovation Center.
 
Last Time Out:
 
The Golden Eagles defeated the Thorobreds on Monday in an overtime thriller despite trailing for the majority of the game, and by as much as seven to begin the 4^th quarter. UC exploded in the opening 90 seconds of the final frame, putting together an 8-2 run to bring the game back within one score with 8:23 to go.
 
The game continued to bounce back and forth until Anna Hayton was fouled with nine seconds remaining in the contest with the Golden Eagles up one. Hayton executed both free throws and on the ensuing possession, Jesse Kee missed a three-point attempt, grabbed her own rebound, and drained a corner three for KSU to force overtime. With time expired, Kee had an opportunity to make a free throw and end the contest as she was fouled on the play but could not execute.
 
The Golden Eagles would then dominate overtime, holding the Thorobreds to just two points while pouring in nine of their own to pick up the 71-64 victory.

Opponent Outlook:
 
The Mountain Lions come into Saturdays' contest holding a 2-2 record on the season after falling in their last matchup to the Cavs of UVA-Wise 87-81 on November 14^th. Despite holding a five-point lead at the break, the Mountain Lions were unable to get it done. CU shot 49.2 percent (30-for-61) from the field, but the Cavaliers were 55.7 percent from the floor (34-for-61) including 64.7 percent (11-for-17) in the fourth quarter.

Matchup History:
 
The Golden Eagles and Mountain Lions have faced off 20 times in their history, with the Charleston leading the series 14-6. In their last matchup, the Golden Eagles edged the Mountain Lions in the MEC Tournament Semifinal 68-59. Charleston has won 13 of their last 15 against Concord dating back to 2013.