CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The University of Charleston Golden Eagles Men's Basketball team (5-2, 1-2 MEC) fell to the Fighting Falcons of Fairmont State University (5-1, 2-1 MEC) 78-72 on Wednesday Night at Joe Retton Arena. The Golden Eagles were led offensively by Drew Rackley, Devon Robinson, and Lamont McManus who all finished the game in double-figure scoring. Robinson recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 14 points and 16 rebounds.
JUST THE BASICS
SCORE: Charleston 72, Falcons 78
LOCATION: Fairmont, W. Va.
TEAM RECORDS: Charleston (5-2, 1-2 MEC), Concord (5-1, 2-1 MEC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first half went back-and-forth in the with Charleston holding a 39-36 lead going into the break. Despite shooting just 41.9% for the half, the Golden Eagles made 6-of-13 attempts from behind the arc in the opening frame. The Fighting Falcons shot 52.0% on 13-of-25 shooting in the first half but Charleston held the advantage on the board, pulling down 20 rebounds compared to Fairmont State's 12.
UC held an 11-point lead with 8:33 remaining in the contest before the Fighting Falcons put together an 18-3 run to take a 69-65 lead with the help of a trio of three-point shots from Cole VonHandorf. The Golden Eagles would trail by four points with 2:54 remaining and after exchanged possessions, the Golden Eagles found themselves down 73-70 with 53 seconds remaining.
After Isaiah Sanders drew a shooting foul, the Falcon lead was increased to five. Fairmont State would get back to the free throw line with 28 seconds remaining after a missed layup by Robinson which led to the ensuing foul, removing Robinson from the game. After converting 1-of-2 from the line, Fairmont State would get the ball back on a missed UC three and cap off the game with a dunk to give the Falcons a 78-72 win.
The Falcons finished the game shooting 7-of-8 while holding UC offensive unit to just 1-of-10 over the final minutes.
UC finished the game shooting 43.5% from the field on 27-of-62 shooting while Fairmont State shot 28-of-55, good for 50.9% in the contest. Charleston did outscore the Falcons in second chance points, as they held a 22-8 advantage for the duration of the contest.
Charleston Leaders (27-62, 43.5 percent from the field)
Devon Robinson- 14 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists
Drew Rackley - 20 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists
Lamont McManus – 18 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists
Eddie Colbert III– 10 points, 4 rebounds
Fairmont State Leaders (28-55, 50.9 percent from the field)
Dale Bonner– 19 points, 9 assists, 3 rebounds
Cole VonHandorf – 16 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists
Kenzie Melko – 13 points, 3 rebound, 3 assists
Up Next:
The Golden Eagles will return to action on Saturday to host the Bobcats of Frostburg State at the Wehrle Innovation Center with tip scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
