CHARLESTON, W. Va. – The University of Charleston Golden Eagles (19-5, 13-5 MEC) took a win on the road on Saturday afternoon, coming away with a 75-62 win over the West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats (9-15, 8-9 MEC) at the Rockefeller Center on the campus of West Virginia Wesleyan College.
 
JUST THE BASICS
SCORE: Charleston 75, Wesleyan 62
LOCATION: BUCKHANNON, W. Va.
TEAM RECORDS: Golden Eagles (19-5, 13-5 MEC), Bobcats (9-15, 8-9 MEC)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Charleston found their stride early on Saturday against Wesleyan as the Golden Eagles jumped out to an early 13-2 lead with 15:53 remaining in the opening half as six points from Seth O'Neal forced the Bobcats to call their first timeout of the game. Charleston widened their lead to 25-9 with just under 10 minutes to play in the half as all five UC starters contributed to the scoring efforts while Clay Todd led the Bobcats with four points.
 
In the latter part of the first half, the Bobcats began to put a run together of their own to cut the Golden Eagle lead down to 34-17 with 4:30 remaining in the half. Leading 35-24 with 30 seconds remaining, Charleston used a 5-0 run to end the first half including a last second bucket from Riley Heatherington. Charleston, who as a team has averaged 7.5 made three-point attempts over their last six ball games headed into Saturday, went 8-of-18 (44.4%) in the opening half. As a team, all eight Golden Eagles to play in the opening frame found their way into the scoring column while holding the Bobcats to 40.0% from the field and 1-of-9 from beyond the arc. Forcing nine Bobcat turnovers, the Golden Eagles used a 15-2 advantage in points off turnovers to carry a 41-24 lead into the break.
 
The first four minutes of the second half started slow for both teams as a combined five points had Charleston leading 43-29. The half continued as both teams shared buckets with UC holding a 60-48 lead with 7:00 remaining. Dusan Vicentic led all scorers with 18 points at the 7:00 mark as Lamont McManus led UC scorers with 13 points. The UC lead was as much as 18 after the under-five media timeout before the Bobcats brought the score back to 70-57. Charleston would finish the game to hold on to a 75-62 victory.
 
As a team, the Golden Eagles finished 26-of-55 (47.3%) from the field while holding the opposition to 24-of-55 (43.6%). Charleston forced 14 turnovers to outscore the Bobcats 27-17 on points off turnovers while each team scored 34 points within the paint.
 

Charleston Leaders (26-of-55, 47.3 percent from the field)
Lamont McManus – 21 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist
Drew Rackley – 14 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds
Seth O'Neal – 11 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds
Devon Robinson –  8 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists

Wesleyan Leaders (24-of-55, 43.6 percent from the field)
Dusan Vicentic – 18 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist
Ross Young – 12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assist
Luka Petrovic – 11 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds

Up Next:
The Golden Eagles will travel to South Euclid, Ohio on Wednesday evening to take on the Falcons of Notre Dame College with tip scheduled for 7:30 p.m.