SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio. – The University of Charleston Golden Eagles (20-5, 14-5 MEC) took a win on the road on Wednesday, coming away with a 88-70 win over the Notre Dame College Falcons (9-16, 7-12 MEC) at Murphy Gymnasium on the campus of Notre Dame College.
 
JUST THE BASICS
SCORE: Charleston 88, Notre Dame 70
LOCATION: South Euclid, Ohio
TEAM RECORDS: Golden Eagles (20-5, 14-5 MEC), Falcons (9-16, 7-12 MEC)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
After Notre Dame scored the opening bucket to begin the game, the Golden Eagles used a 7-0 run over the next four minutes of play to take a 7-2 lead. Over the next three minutes of play, the teams exchanged buckets until the first media timeout had Charleston leading 17-11 as Drew Rackley led all scorers with six points. Coming out of the timeout, Rackley drilled a three-point shot to increase the UC lead to nine points.
 
The Golden Eagle lead was cut back down to two points with 9:28 remaining in the opening half despite the Golden Eagles shooting over 65.0% with five assists on eight field goals. The Falcons took the lead back for the first time since the opening bucket with a 27-25 lead on five straight points from DeAnthony Owens. The Golden Eagles closed out the final seven minutes of the half on a 17-7 run to carry a 42-36 lead into the break.
 
At the break, each team converted on 14-of-26 shots from the floor (53.8%) while Charleston outshot the Falcons from beyond the arc, converting on 7-of-14 attempts. Each team scored 14 points in the paint while the Golden Eagles held the slight advantage in rebounds, 13-12. Rackley led all scorers with 15 points while going 4-of-6 from three-point range while Jordan Burton led the Falcons with 14 points.
 
Out of the break, a 10-5 run from the Falcons cut the UC lead down to just one before a 13-0 run from the Golden Eagles over a 90-second frame increased their lead to fourteen. With eight minutes remaining, following multiple assessed technical fouls following dunks and blocks, the Golden Eagles increased their lead to 19 points. In a contest that was tied at 44-44 early into the second half, the Golden Eagles used a 30-11 run to increase their lead to 74-55 with 6:38 remaining.
 
The teams would exchange buckets over the final minutes with the Golden Eagles grabbing an 88-70 win over the Falcons. As a team, the Golden Eagles shot 60.0% from the field, their best since January 8^th against Wesleyan. The Golden Eagles converted 13-of-23 from three-point range while holding the opposition to 5-of-15. Despite being outscored 10-6 on second-chance points, Charleston used a 21-12 advantage on points off turnovers and 15-2 in bench points to take care of Notre Dame.
 
In the win, Seth O'Neal tied for the fifth most assists (14) in a game in program history as the Junior notched his 300th career assist, putting him in the Top-10 in program history with his first career double-double on Wednesday. In addition, Rackley moved into the Top-1o in program history in made three-point attempts while Devon Robinson recorded his 20^th career double-double.
 

Charleston Leaders (30-of-50, 60.0 percent from the field)
Drew Rackley – 20 points, 3 rebounds
Seth O'Neal – 15 points, 14 assists
Devon Robinson –  14 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists
Lamont McManus – 10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist
Keith Williams – 14 points, 1 assist

Notre Dame Leaders (27-of-57, 47.4 percent from the field)
Jordan Burton – 21 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists
DeAnthony Owens – 21 points, 2 rebounds


Up Next:
The Golden Eagles will come home on Saturday for a matchup against the Blue Knights of Urbana University with tip scheduled for 4:00 p.m.