CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The University of Charleston Golden Eagles Men's Basketball team (7-2, 3-2 MEC) defeated the 22^nd ranked Hilltoppers of West Liberty University by a score of 83-73 on Wednesday evening at the Wehrle Innovation Center. The Golden Eagles were led offensively by Keith Williams, who finished the game with 27 points on 9-of-14 shooting, while adding 9 rebounds. Williams set career-high in points, rebounds, and three-point field goals, going 6-of-11 from the field. Three other Golden Eagles including Lamont McManus (14), Drew Rackley (12), and Seth O'Neal (20) all finished the game in double-digit scoring figures.

JUST THE BASICS

SCORE: Charleston 83, Bobcats 73
LOCATION: Charleston, W. Va.
TEAM RECORDS: Charleston (7-2, 3-2 MEC), West Liberty (6-3, 3-2 MEC)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

The game bounced back and forth for the majority of the first half, with the Hilltoppers holding a slight 36-30 advantage going into the break. The Hilltoppers used 5-of-8 shooting from behind the arc (62.5%) including a 2-for-2 effort from Pat Robinson. The Hilltoppers forced eight UC turnovers and outscored the Golden Eagles 10-4 in points from turnovers in the opening frame. Unlike West Liberty, the Golden Eagles did not find success from behind the arc in the first half, shooting just 2-of-14 (14.3%) but shot the 12-of-16 otherwise. Going into the break, McManus led the Golden Eagles with 10 points.
 
Six minutes into the second half, the Hilltoppers still held on to a three-point advantage, leading the game 46-43. Over the course of the next ten minutes of play, the Golden Eagles were able to take a 65-61 lead due to the hot hand of Williams. Over the ten-minute span, Williams was able to convert on 3-of-6 from behind the arc while scoring 12 points during the span.

After back-and-forth play, the Golden Eagles finished the game with an 83-73 victory. After a rocky first half, the Golden Eagles found their pace from deep in the 2^nd half, converting on 7-of-12 (58.3%). The Hilltoppers kept the contest close due to forcing 15 UC turnover and outscoring the Golden Eagles 19-6 on points from turnovers. Despite forcing a plethora of turnovers, the 2^nd highest scoring team in the nation was held to just 73 points for the duration of the contest.

Charleston Leaders (29-57, 50.9 percent from the field)
Keith Williams- 27 points, 9 rebounds,
Seth O'Neal- 20 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists
Lamont McManus – 14 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assists
Drew Rackley– 12 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists


West Liberty Leaders (27-60, 45.0 percent from the field)
Will Yoakum– 22 points, 1 assist, 2 rebounds
Pat Robinson – 16 points, 5 rebounds
 
Up Next:
The Golden Eagles will return to action on Saturday as they hit the road to take on the Cardinals of Wheeling University with tip scheduled for 4:00 p.m.