CHARLESTON, W. Va. – The University of Charleston Basketball teams will hit the road this weekend to take on the Cardinals of Wheeling University with tip scheduled for 2:00 & 4:00 p.m. at the Alma Grace McDonough Center.
Media Coverage: Both games of Saturday's doubleheader can be viewed
here. In addition, live stats can be tracked for both games through the links below.
Men's Basketball Outlook:
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 arc. 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.
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.
Full recap and box score
here
The Cardinals come into the weekend holding a record of 6-3 (3-2 MEC) after dropping their most recent matchup with West Virginia State on Wednesday evening by a score of 97-92. The Cardinals have shot the ball efficiently at over 50% from the field this season, ranking 18
th in Division II in that category. Wheeling is led by Emmanuel Ansong who averages 17.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per contest.
In their history, the Golden Eagles and the Cardinals have matched up 21 times with Wheeling holding a 14-7 advantage. In their most recent contest, the Golden Eagles defeated Wheeling 80-73 behind a 16-point performance from Lamont McManus.
Women's Basketball Outlook:
The University of Charleston Golden Eagles Women's Basketball team (7-2, 4-1 MEC) defeated the Hilltoppers of West Liberty University (5-3, 2-2 MEC) 78-68 on Wednesday Night at the Wehrle Innovation Center. The Golden Eagles were led offensively by senior
Anna Hayton , who finished the game with 14 points, 10 rebounds. Hayton was able to surpass 1,000 career points on Wednesday, the 35
th Golden Eagle of all-time to meet the mark.
UC came out in the first quarter ready to play as they began the game 11-of-19 from the field and 2-of-4 from the charity stripe. West Liberty was 6-of-14 from the field and 1-of-5 on three-point attempt as UC held a 24-15 lead after the first quarter.
Charleston kept the hot hand in the second quarter as they shot 65.0% from the field. They added another four points to their total as they went 4-of-5 from the free-throw line. The Hilltoppers went 6-of-13 from the field and went 0-of-4 from beyond the arc. Charleston took their first quarter lead and extended it into half as they led 46-28 at the break.
As the third quarter progressed, UC went 6-of-8 from the field and 3-of-6 on free-throw attempts. West Liberty was 4-of-17 from the field and was 2-of-12 from beyond the arc.
In the final quarter of the game, the Golden Eagles went 3-for-11 from the field and were 11-for-12 from the line. The Hilltoppers pressed hard but ultimately came up short as they went 6-of-14 from the field, 5-of-7 from three-point range and 9-for-10 from the free-throw line. UC went on to take the game 78-68.
Full recap and box score
here
The Wheeling Women's Basketball team heads into Saturday holding a 3-5 (2-23MEC) record. Despite a losing record, the Cardinals have put together a pair of wins in their most recent outings over Wesleyan and West Virginia State. The Cardinals are led offensively by Lilly Ritz, who averages 17.3 points and 13.2 rebounds per contest.
In their matchup history, the Golden Eagles and Hilltoppers have squared off 18 times with Charleston holding a 12-6 advantage. Since their first matchup in 2010, the matchup history has shown big swings with Charleston winning the first ten games, followed by Wheeling winning the next six, and now with Charleston on a current two game win streak over the opposition.
