CHARLESTON, W. Va. – The University of Charleston Basketball teams will be back in action for the first time since the holiday recess as they take on the Big Blue of Bluefield State University on Saturday with tip scheduled for 2:00 & 4:00 p.m. at the Ned E. Shott Physical Education Building.
Media Coverage:
Men's Basketball Outlook:
The University of Charleston Golden Eagles Men's Basketball team (9-2, 4-2 MEC) ended the 2019 year with a 10-point win over the Battlers of Alderson Broaddus University on the 19
th of December. With the win, the Golden Eagles moved into 2
nd place in the MEC as they sit just one game behind the Pioneers of Glenville State (5-1 MEC). In their final game before the holiday break, the Golden Eagles were led offensively by
Drew Rackley who finished the with 25 points, three rebounds, and four assists. Per usual, the Golden Eagles showed their depth on the offensive end as four Golden Eagles finished the game in double-digit scoring figures, including a 16-point, 13-rebound performance from
Lamont McManus who finished the contest with a career-high in rebounds. The 9-2 start for the Golden Eagles matches the best 11-game start during the Dwaine Osborne led era.
The Golden Eagles fell behind early as Alderson Broaddus took a commanding 11-1 lead from the start, not allowing UC to convert on a field goal through the first five minutes of the contest. Charleston was then able to put together a 10-2 run of their own, bringing the score to 13-11 with 13:02 remaining in the half before taking their first lead of the game with 8:38 remaining in the opening frame. Once holding a 24-22 lead, the Golden Eagles never looked back and carried a four-point lead into the break.
The Golden Eagles shot 53.1% in the opening half on 17-of-32 shooting while the Battlers converted 16-of-29 attempts, good for 55.2%. McManus led the way for the Golden Eagles, just two rebound shy of a double-double while pouring in 10 points from the floor. In addition, Rackley contributed 13 points while converting on 3-of-6 attempts from behind the arc in the opening half.
In a game the consisted of many runs, Charleston was able to extend their lead to 13 points by beginning the second half on a 10-1 run. The Battlers were able to cut the UC lead down to as little as six with under a minute left in the contest, but UC prevailed in the end, making six straight free throws to end the contest while finishing 13-of-19 from the charity stripe for the contest.
Full recap and box score
here
Bluefield State comes into the weekend holding a record of 5-7 after dropping their most recent matchup with West Virginia State on December 20
th by a score of 104-83. The Big Blue rank in the Top-100 this season in scoring offense, averaging just over 80 point per contest and are led offensively by Marquez Cooper, who averages 14.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per contest.
In their history, the Golden Eagles and the Cardinals have matched up eight times with Charleston holding a 7-1 advantage. The Golden Eagles currently hold a six-game win streak over the Big Blue with their last loss coming in January of 2011.
Women's Basketball Outlook:
The University of Charleston Golden Eagles Women's Basketball team (9-2, 5-1 MEC) defeated the Fighting Scots of Ohio Valley University by a score of 89-68 in their last contest on December 19
th and come into Saturday holding a tie for the top record in conference as they head into the second half of the season. Three Golden Eagles hit career milestones as Junior forward
Erykah Russell notched career highs in points (20) and assists (5), while Junior guard
Brooklyn Pannell had a career night for assists (8). Senior forward
Anna Hayton nailed her 100
th career block and added 26 points, finishing the game as the top scorer.
The Fighting Scots came out tough in the first quarter, keeping the Golden Eagles within reach at a score of 10-12 midway through the first quarter, but Charleston began to pull away during the remaining minutes of the period. Charleston capped the first quarter with a 10-point lead off the hand of Dakota Reeves who hit her first shot from behind the arc for the contest.
Charleston held their lead, only letting the score get within single digits once more during the contest as the Golden Eagles shot 51.4 percent in the opening half on 18-of-35 shooting while the Fighting Scots converted 14-of-26 attempts.
Full recap and box score
here
The Bluefield State Women's Basketball team heads into Saturday holding a 6-4 record overall and comes off a 70-62 loss to West Virginia Tech University in their most recent contest on December 20
th. The Big Blue rank in the Top-20 in rebounding margin, offensive rebounds per game, along with assists and are led offensively by Kylah Webb who averages 11.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest.
In their matchup history, the Golden Eagles and Big Blue have squared off 8 times with Charleston holding a 6-2 advantage. The Golden Eagles currently ride a three-game win streak over Bluefield State and held the opposition to just 25 points in their last matchup as they picked up a 53-25 win in 2017.
