CHARLESTON, W. Va. – The University of Charleston Basketball teams are set to take to return home for the first time since January 22
nd as they take on Fighting Falcons of Fairmont State with tip scheduled for 2:00 p.m. (Women's) and 4:00 p.m. (Men's). Both games will be played at the Wehrle Innovation Center.
Media Coverage:
Live Stats and video feed will be available for Saturday's games through the links supplied below:
Men's Basketball Outlook:
The Golden Eagles got back to their winning ways on Wednesday evening with a 76-55 win over the Bobcats of Frostburg State. In the game, the Golden Eagles posted their lowest field-goal percentage in a win (49.0%) since January 4
th against Bluefield State when Charleston shot just 45.3% in a 68-43 win over the Blues. On Wednesday, the Golden Eagles had five players reach double figure scoring, led offensively by
Drew Rackley, who finished with 14 points, two rebounds, and two assists while
Devon Robinson added his 9
th double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
It took just 92 seconds before the Bobcats were forced to call their first timeout of the game on Wednesday with Charleston leading 8-0. After a made layup from Lamont McManus to begin the game, the duo of
Keith Williams and Rackley drained a pair of threes to put the Golden Eagles ahead early. At the first media timeout, Charleston held a 13-2 lead shooting 5-of-7 from the floor while holding the opposition to just 1-of-8.
Over the next four minutes, the Golden Eagles struggled from the floor, converting on just one shot before
Eddie Colbert III went to the line, putting UC ahead 17-9 with 11:03 left in the opening half. An 8-0 Charleston run over the next four minutes of play resulted in a 25-9 lead before a technical foul on
Seth O'Neal sent Bobcat Torrin Stephens to the line, making the score 25-10.
The teams played evenly throughout the final seven minutes of the half as UC carried a 35-19 lead into the break. The Golden Eagles held Frostburg to just 26.9% (7-of-29) while Charleston converted on 14-of-32 from the floor (43.8%). Unlike the last matchup on December 7
th, the Bobcats out-rebounded the Golden Eagles 19-18 in the first half while Charleston dominated in points off turnovers (13-3) and points in the paint (18-10).
Charleston extended their lead to 23 at the 16:30 mark in the second half after outscoring the opposition by eight in the first four minutes of the half. At the 15:40 mark, Rackley led all scorers with 14 points of 4-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc. The Bobcats turned on the defensive effort, playing a full-court press for part of the second half as they cut into the UC lead, trailing 56-37 at the under 10-minute timeout.
Charleston put together an 18-11 run over the next eight minutes of play to widen their lead to 74-49 with just over two minutes to play. The Golden Eagles would close out the game, taking a 76-55 win back to West Virginia.
Full recap and box score
here
Charleston comes into Saturday's matchup having shot 31.8% from beyond the arc in their last two games. The Golden Eagles, who came into the West Virginia State game last Sunday shooting 41.8% as a team, are now shooting 40.8% after a 7-of-22 performance in each of their last two matchups. In their last matchup against the Fighting Falcons on December 4
th (L, 72-78), the Golden Eagles shot 8-of-22 from beyond the arc.
Scouting the Opponent:
Fairmont State comes into the contest holding a record of 14-4 (9-4 MEC), good for third place in the MEC standings. The Falcons have won each of their last four contests, most recently a 79-77 thriller at the buzzer over West Virginia State University where Cole VonHandorf hit a game-winner three-point shot at the buzzer. The Fighting Falcons are led offensively by Dale Bonner, who averages 18.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per contest. In addition, Fairmont State has three others averaging double figure scoring in VonHandorf, Isaiah Sanders, and Kenzie Melko.
This season, Fairmont State ranks within the Top-15 in scoring offense (88.5 ppg) while outscoring opponents by an average of 8.1 points per contest. The Fighting Falcons also hold Top-40 ranks in Division II in assists per contest, assist/turnover ratio, field goal percentage, and free throw percentage.
Things to Know for Saturday:
- Fairmont State reached a season-high in blocked shots (4) against the Golden Eagles in their last outing on December 4th led by Seth Younkin (3), setting a career-high.
- The Golden Eagles achieved a season-high 16 offensive rebounds in their last contest against Fairmont State, resulting in a 22-8 advantage in second-chance points.
- Golden Eagle Senior Devon Robinson recorded a season-high 16 rebounds in on December 4th against the Falcons. It was just one of four games this season where Robinson had more rebounds than points scored.
Matchup History:
The Golden Eagles and the Falcons have squared off 18 times in their history with Fairmont State holding a 12-6 advantage. The Falcons have come out on top in 10 of their last 11 matchups against Charleston with the Golden Eagle's most recent win coming on February 15, 2018 when Lamont McManus scored 12 points while pulling in eight rebounds.
Women's Basketball Outlook:
The University of Charleston Golden Eagles Women's Basketball team (15-4, 10-3 MEC), became victors in 12 of their last 14 games with a 69-51 win over the Bobcats of Frostburg State on Wednesday evening.
Anna Hayton led the way for the Golden Eagles with her 8
th double-double of the season, dropping 13 points while grabbing 11 rebounds. In the win,
Erykah Russell and
Emily Simon recorded a career-high in assists, tallying four each while
Dakota Reeves dropped 16 points.
The matchup started off with a scoring drought from both sides as the first five minutes of the game only saw eight combined points with Charleston holding a 6-2 lead. Following the slow start, the Golden Eagles and Bobcats exchanged buckets with Charleston holding a 14-6 lead at the end of the quarter.
Megan Haines led the visitors in the first quarter with six points while
Trinity Palacio dropped in two buckets of her own.
Back-and-forth buckets in the first five minutes of the second half saw UC continue to hold a seven-point lead before a converted three-point attempts from
Anastasiia Zakharova increased the UC lead to 10. The Charleston lead in the first half would reach as many as 13 on a pair of made free throws from
Taliyah Hopkins before a run from the Bobcats cut the UC lead to seven headed into the break, leading 32-25.
Charleston used a 6-0 run at the beginning of the half to increase their lead to 13 in at the 7:01 mark in the third quarter. The teams continued to exchange buckets over the next six minutes before Simon converted on a three-point shot, increasing the lead to 14. The Golden Eagles would see themselves with a 13-point lead headed into the final frame of the game.
Much like the third quarter, Charleston began the final frame on a 7-0 run to increase their lead to 20 behind a pair of buckets from Hayton and a converted three for Dakota Reeves, one of her five for the contest. Reeves would put the game away with a made attempts from beyond the 3PT arc in the closing minute of regulation to secure a 69-51 win over the opposition.
The Golden Eagles outscored the Bobcats 32-12 in the paint while scoring 27 points off of Bobcat turnovers. Charleston's bench scored 17 points and outscored the opposition 12-5 in fast break points.
Full recap and box score
here
The Golden Eagles currently sit one game behind Notre Dame and Glenville State in the MEC Standings, good for 3
rd place. With a win on Saturday, the Golden Eagles ensure themselves a tie for 2
nd in the MEC as Notre Dame and Glenville State square off on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. Charleston, who turns the ball over on average 15.6 times per contest, come off a season-high 25 turnovers against the Bobcats on Wednesday. Despite such, the Golden Eagles rank 30
th in Division II in turnover margin (4.42) and look to use their 19
th ranked scoring offense in the country on Saturday.
Scouting the Opponent:
Fairmont State comes into the contest holding a record of 11-8 (8-5 MEC). The Falcons have won four of their last five games including a 102-69 triumph over the Yellow Jackets of West Virginia State on Wednesday. Offensively, the Falcons are led by Sierra Kotchman (20.2 ppg, 4.63 rpg) and Rachel Laskody (14.7 ppg, 7.9 rpg). On December 4
th, the Falcons recorded a season-high 13 offensive rebounds against the Golden Eagles resulting in a 12-7 advantage in second-chance points.
Things to Know for Wednesday:
- The Golden Eagles recorded a season-low five offensive rebounds on December 4th against Fairmont State but used 30 defensive rebounds the defeat the Falcons 82-68. Brooklyn Pannell led all scorers in the contest with 23 points.
- Charleston posted their second-best shooting game of the season on December 4th against the Falcons (62.0%) despite converting on just five shots from beyond the three-point arc. Charleston shot the ball well within the arc, converting on 68.4% of shots in the contest (26-of-38).
- The Golden Eagles forced a season-low ten turnovers in their last outing against the Falcons on December 4th. Charleston, on average, forces 20 turnovers per contest.
Matchup History:
The Golden Eagles and Falcons have squared off 18 times in their history with each team winning nine matchups. Charleston has come out on top in four of their last five matchups against the opposition with their largest margin of victory coming in February of last season with an 89-58 defeat over Fairmont State.
