CHARLESTON, W. Va. – The University of Charleston Basketball will play their last regular season road matchup of the year on Wednesday evening as they travel to take on the Pioneers of Glenville State with tip scheduled for 5:30 p.m. (Women's) and 7:30 p.m. (Men's). Both games will be held at the Waco Center on the campus of Glenville State College.
Media Coverage:
Live Stats and video feed will be available for Wednesday's games through the links supplied below:
Men's Basketball Outlook:
The University of Charleston Golden Eagles Men's Basketball team (21-5, 15-5 MEC) won their fourth consecutive contest on Saturday afternoon with a 78-61 defeat over the Blue Knights of Urbana University. The Golden Eagles were led offensively by Devon Robinson, who recorded 23 points and 13 rebounds while adding a pair of assists.
Both teams got off to a slow start on Saturday as the Golden Eagles carried an 8-4 lead into the first media timeout, holding Urbana to 1-of-5 from the field in the opening minutes. After extending their lead to 11-4, the Golden Eagles and Blue Knights exchanged baskets before the next media timeout had Charleston holding a 19-14 lead. Ten minutes into the game, Lamont McManus led all scorers with 11 points while Devon Robinson added six rebounds.
Out of the timeout, Urbana cut the UC lead down to two with the Golden Eagles leading 23-19 headed into the last media timeout of the first half. Over the final minutes of the opening frame, Charleston was able to extend their lead to eight as they carried a 31-23 lead into the break.
Charleston held Urbana to 7-of-25 (28.0%) from the floor in the opening half while outscoring the opposition 28-12 in the paint. The Golden Eagles shot 1-of-7 from beyond the arc in the half while holding the Blue Knights scoreless on nine shots. At the break, McManus led all scorers with 13 points while Brandon Michrina led Urbana with five points. Urbana received 13 of their 23 points in the half from the bench while all of Charleston's points came from their starting five.
To begin the half, both Urbana and Charleston converted on a total of three made 3PT field goals to surpass their first half marks as the Golden Eagles carried an eight-point lead into the first media timeout of the half. The Blue Knights continued to keep the game close, exchanging buckets with the Golden Eagles before UC opened their lead to 11 with 9:37 remaining in the half on a three from Keith Williams. At the under-ten timeout, McManus increased his scoring total to 19 while Robinson added to his total with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Shaunn Monroe led the way for the Blue Knights with 14 points.
Charleston used a 17-5 run that began at the 10:16 and ended at the five-minute mark to increase the Golden Eagle lead to 18, holding a 64-46 lead. To close out the game, Charleston and the Blue Knights played even basketball as the Golden Eagles walked away with a 78-61 victory.
Full recap and box score
here
The Golden Eagles are currently on their second longest win streak of the season at four games. Over the past four games, the Golden Eagles have found five players averaging double-figure scoring while Drew Rackley has anchored Charleston with 20.0 points per game. Devon Robinson, who recorded his 21
st career double-double on Saturday, has averaged 13.8 points and 12.0 rebounds per contest over the past four games. Charleston, who holds the 7
th best field goal percentage in the country at 52.3%, has shot three clicks over their average in their last four games while shooting 55.2%. The Golden Eagles come into Wednesday holding the 9
th best rebound margin in Division II (7.9) while ranking 16
th in the country in three-point field goal percentage (40.3%).
Scouting the Opponent:
Glenville State comes into the contest holding a record of 13-13 (10-10 MEC) and are currently on a six-game losing streak after an 81-78 defeat at the hands of Davis & Elkins. Prior to the six-game losing streak, the Pioneers held a five-game win streak with notable wins over West Virginia State and Concord. Despite converting on 53 three-point field goals in their last five contests, the Pioneers have only converted on 31.9% of their attempts from 3PT range. Glenville State relies heavily on their three-point shooting, as the Pioneers rank 3
rd in Division II in made 3PT field goals per contest (12.6) while taking nearly 12.9 more shots from beyond the arc per game. The Pioneers are led offensively by Phil Bledsoe, who averages 20.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per contest. Rounding out the Pioneer offense is Steven Verplancken (15.7 ppg) and Tyvon Taylor (10.0 ppg).
Things to Know for Wednesday:
- The Golden Eagles, who average 15.7 assists per contest, recorded a season-high (22) against the Pioneers at home on November 26th led by seven from Drew Rackley.
- Glenville State, who averages 40.9 rebounds per game, was held to a season-low 28 against the Golden Eagles on November 26th.
- Expect Glenville State to rely heavily on contribution from their bench, as on November 26th, the Pioneers outscored UC 30-9 in bench points.
Matchup History:
The Golden Eagles and the Pioneers have squared off 22 times in their history with Charleston holding a 17-5 advantage. The Golden Eagles come into Wednesday holding a five-game win streak against the opposition with their last loss coming in February of 2017.
Women's Basketball Outlook:
The University of Charleston Golden Eagles Women's Basketball team (21-5, 16-4 MEC) got back to their winning ways on Saturday afternoon, taking home an 87-70 victory over the Urbana Blue Knights at the Wehrle Innovation Center. The Golden Eagles were led offensively by Erykah Russell, who notched 22 points while adding nine rebounds in 32 minutes of play.
The Golden Eagles scored on their first three possessions on Saturday to jump out to an early 8-0 lead. Charleston continued to lead through the first frame as a layup from
Taliyah Hopkins put the Golden Eagles up 18-12 with 4:45 on the clock. Hopkins netted 10 of her 19 points in the first quarter, giving the Golden Eagles a 26-21 lead heading into the second quarter.
Charleston continued to control the offense to start the second quarter as they extended their lead to 32-21 on a layup from Hopkins. Russell netted the next three points, scoring on back-to-back possessions to put UC up 36-23 with 7:16 remaining in the half. Kami Mceldowney broke the slump for Urbana scoring their first bucket of the second quarter at the half-way mark. Hopkins scored three of the Golden Eagles next four buckets to send the Golden Eagles into the locker room with a 48-30 lead over the Blue Knights.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Tyra James and Kasey Knippen combined for four points for the Blue Knights, but the Golden Eagles answered scoring on back-to-back possessions. The Golden Eagles stayed the course as they sealed the 87-70 win on a free-throw from Megan Haines with seven seconds to play.
Full recap and box score
here
Saturday's win against Urbana kept the standings at the top of the Mountain East steady with Notre Dame and Glenville State also winning. The Golden Eagles come into Wednesday ranked 3
rd in the conference and sit two games behind the Pioneers. The Golden Eagles are led offensively by Anna Hayton, who averages 18.7 points and 8.2 rebounds per contest. The Golden Eagles hold the 13
th best three-point field goal percentage (37.6%) in Division II along with the 9
th best field goal percentage (47.3%). In addition, Charleston ranks 16
th in scoring offense (78.3 ppg) and holds the opposition to just 28.0% from three-point range, good for 40
th in Division II.
Scouting the Opponent:
Glenville State comes into the contest holding a record of 22-4 (18-2 MEC). The Pioneers come into Wednesday having won 16 straight games with their only conference losses having been to Charleston and Fairmont State. The Kim Stephens led Pioneers have the #1 ranked scoring offense (109.5 ppg) in Division II and hold a handful of other national ranks including:
- 1st – Three-Point Field Goals per Game (12.4)
- 2nd- Offensive Rebounds per Game (9.6)
- 2nd- Turnover Margin (9.62)
- 4th- Steals per Game (13.4)
- 6th- Field Goal Percentage (47.9%)
- 17th- Assist Turnover Ratio (1.19)
The Pioneers are led offensively Zakiyah Winfield, who averages 18.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per contest. Four other Pioneers average double-figure scoring while eight players (23 games minimum) average at least 5.0 points per contest.
Things to Know for Wednesday:
- Charleston held the Pioneers to a season-low six made three-point field goals (6-of-26) in their first matchup this season while holding Glenville State to 18 rebounds below their season average of 46.1.
- Expect the majority of Charleston points to come in the paint, as on November 26th, the Golden Eagles attempted just two three-point field goals (2nd lowest of the season).
- In their last matchup, Anna Hayton recorded 24 points and 13 rebounds whole Erykah Russell (15 points, 10 rebounds) and Brooklyn Pannell (18 points, 3 rebounds) both contributed to the scoring efforts.
Matchup History:
The Golden Eagles and Pioneers have squared off 24 times in their history with Glenville State holding a 17-7 advantage. Charleston snapped their five-game losing streak against the Pioneers in their last contest when UC defeated the visitors by a score of 78-72 at the Wehrle Innovation Center.
