CHARLESTON, W. Va. – The University of Charleston Basketball teams are set to take on Hilltoppers of West Liberty University on Sunday in the NCAA Division II Basketball Showcase doubleheader with tip scheduled for 1:35 p.m. (Women's) and 4:00 p.m. (Men's).
Media Coverage:
Live Stats and video feed will be available for Sunday's games through the links supplied below:
In addition to MountainEast.tv and WVMetroNews.com, the pair of games will be available on a wide variety of platforms from coast to coast including NBC Sports Chicago, Cox Sports Television affiliates, the athletics Facebook pages of West Liberty, Charleston, the MEC and NCAA DII, the DII Twitter page and @NCAADII on Periscope. The men's broadcast will also be aired live on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh.
Men's Basketball Outlook:
The ABCA #25 ranked University of Charleston Golden Eagles Men's Basketball team (17-4, 11-4 MEC) fell at home on Wednesday to the Cardinals of Wheeling University by a score of 71-66 at the Wehrle Innovation Center. The Golden Eagles were led offensively by
Drew Rackley, who scored 26 points, 6 assists, and 2 rebounds.
On Wednesday, Wheeling found their stride early, scoring the first five points of the game over the first three minutes of play. Following a made three-pointer from Rackley, Wheeling held a 7-3 lead. Headed into the under-fifteen timeout, the game was all knotted at 9-9 with Rackley leading all scorers with five points. Over the next five minutes, Wheeling took back the advantage, leading 15-12 headed into the second media timeout. Despite shooting just 5-of-19 from the floor (26.3%), the Golden Eagles held the Cardinals to 6-of-14 (42.8%) to keep the game close.
Out of the timeout, the teams exchanged baskets before a converted three-point attempt from Rackley cut the Cardinal lead to 21-19 and forced Wheeling head coach Will Ryan to call a timeout with 5:56 remaining in the half. Out of the timeout, the Cardinals drilled a pair of three-pointers to take a 27-19 lead before a layup from
Lamont McManus cut the lead to six. Headed into the final media timeout of the half, McManus and Rackley both reached double figure scoring, contributing to 20 of Charleston's 21 points as the Golden Eagles trailed 29-21.
The first half finished with Charleston trailing 34-27. Unlike their first matchup this season when seven Golden Eagles reached double figures in scoring, only three Charleston players scored. Combined, Rackley and McManus combined to shoot 10-of-18 while the rest of the team finished 0-of-11 from the floor. Jarett Haines led all Wheeling players with 12 points in the opening frame while as a team, Wheeling shot 46.4% from the floor (13-of-28) in the first half. The Golden Eagles outscored the opposition 14-6 in the pain but were outscored from deep, as Wheeling converted on three more attempts from deep than the home team.
Out of the break, Wheeling slowed the game down as they worked deep into the shot clock to maintain their seven-point lead, leading 41-34 headed into the first media timeout of the half. After trailing by 12 just moments out of the timeout, Charleston cut the Wheeling lead to six with 9:03 left in the half before a made jumper from Haines gave the Cardinals a 56-48 lead headed into the under-ten media timeout. Out of the timeout, Charleston began to turn defense into offense and used a 7-2 run over a two-minute period to cut their deficit to three points. The teams exchanged three-point shots before Charleston was able to send the game into the final media timeout with the game tied at 60-60 after Rackley converted a layup with the and-one opportunity to follow. The Golden Eagles took their first lead after the converted free throw from Rackley.
Trailing 66-63 with 1:17 remaining in the contest,
Eddie Colbert III found Rackley as the shot clock expired to tie the game at 66-66 before John Korte drained a three-point shot with 54 seconds remaining to put the Cardinals ahead by three. Charleston was forced to foul and upon Jay Gentry missing the front end of the one-and-one, the Golden Eagles got the ball back with 16 seconds remaining. Out of the called timeout from Wheeling, Charleston turned the ball over and was forced to foul. Korte would convert both of his free throw attempts as the Cardinals handed Charleston their first home loss since February 21
st, 2019 by a score of 71-66.
For the game, Charleston finished 42.6% from the field (23-of-54) while Wheeling shot 56.0% from the floor, converting 28-of-50 shots. The Golden Eagles were outrebounded 31-27 while the Cardinals bench outscored Charleston 16-3.
Full recap and box score
here
As a team, the Golden Eagles have struggled shooting since their January 22
nd win over Concord. Despite owning the 6
th best field goal percentage in Division II (51.9%), Charleston has shot just 46.5% over their last four while owning a 2-2 record in those contests. The overall success of the Golden Eagles from behind the arc this season has been impressive. As a team, Charleston has reached double-digit 3PT field goals in a game seven times this season (twice more than 2018-19) and are just 19 three-pointers away from reaching last year's season total with seven games to play in the regular season. Charleston ranks 6
th in Division II in rebound margin (9.0) and despite their recent struggles over their last four games from beyond the arc (30.2%), ranks 22
nd in Division II this season in three-point field goal percentage this season (39.7%).
Scouting the Opponent:
West Liberty comes into the contest holding a record of 17-4 (12-3 MEC) and has won 11 of their last 12 games. Before losing their last game to West Virginia State on Wednesday by a score of 96-93, the Hilltoppers last loss came against Charleston on December 11
th by a score of 83-73. The Ben Howlett led Hilltopper squad finds themselves ranked 1
st in Division II in scoring margin (25.4), 2
nd in scoring offense (104.5) and steals per game (11.0) while holding Top-5 ranks in turnover margin (7.1), assists per game (19.7), rebound margin (9.5), assist to turnover ratio (1.63), and three-point field goals per game (12.3).
The Hilltoppers are led offensively by Dalton Bolon who averages 18.62 points and 8.62 rebounds per contest. In addition, many other Hilltoppers average high scoring figures this season:
- Will Yoakum – 18.48 ppg, 4.48 rpg
- Pat Robinson – 17.19 ppg, 3.86 rpg
- Preston Boswell – 11.29 ppg
- Malik McKinney – 8.95 ppg
- Bryce Butler – 8.71 ppg, 4.71 rpg
Things to Know for Wednesday:
- The Golden Eagles held the Hilltoppers to a season-low 73 points in their last matchup on December 12th. West Liberty's lowest scoring total outside of Charleston came on November 16th vs. Daemen College (NY) when they scored 83 points.
- The Golden Eagles held West Liberty to a season-low in rebounds (24) on December 11th including only 5 offensive rebounds. The Hilltoppers average 43.1 rebounds per contest.
- Four Golden Eagles reached double figure scoring totals on December 11th including a season-high 27 points from Keith Williams, who converted on 6-of-11 attempts from beyond the arc.
Matchup History:
The Golden Eagles and the Hilltoppers have squared off 20 times in their history with West Liberty holding a 15-5 advantage. Charleston comes into the contest having won 3 of the last 4 contests and West Liberty held an 8-game win streak from 2014-18.
Women's Basketball Outlook:
The University of Charleston Golden Eagles Women's Basketball team (17-4, 12-3 MEC), improved to 10-1 at home this season after defeating the Cardinals of Wheeling University by a score of 85-67 on Wednesday evening. The Golden Eagles were led offensively by
Anna Hayton, who scored 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks while four Golden Eagles finished with double figure scoring efforts.
On Wednesday, the Golden Eagles and Cardinals exchanged buckets through the first four minutes of the ball game with Charleston holding on to a 9-6 lead. The Golden Eagles struggled on the defensive glass through the first few minutes, allowing five rebounds (3 offensive) to the third best rebounder in the country, Lilly Ritz. Over the next two minutes, Charleston extended their lead to six, holding a 14-8 as
Erykah Russell led all scorers with 7 points at the first media timeout. Charleston used an 8-2 run out of the timeout to take a 20-8 lead behind six points from Hayton, who finished the opening quarter with 8 points and 5 rebounds.
Headed into the second frame holding a 22-10 lead, Wheeling began the half on a 6-0 run to cut the UC lead to 22-16. Charleston's lead was extended to seven, leading 29-22 headed into the first media timeout with 4:59 remaining in the half. With Ritz on the bench for the Cardinals, Wheeling began to slow the game down over the final minutes of the half, but Charleston headed into the half holding a 38-29 lead.
At the break, the Golden Eagles were led offensively by Russell (11 points, 5 rebounds) and Hayton (10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks) while shooting 45.2% from the floor as a team. The Golden Eagles held the Cardinals to just 12-of-34 from the floor (35.3%) including 1-of-11 from beyond the arc as Wheeling was led by Ritz (14 points, 9 rebounds) and Khira Burton (9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists).
Charleston began the half with
Trinity Palacio converting the and-one opportunity to take a 41-29 lead on their first possession of the second half. Three consecutive steals on the defensive end led to eight unanswered points over the first 2:20 of the half to increase the UC lead to 46-29. Two and a half minutes into the half, Wheeling was forced to call a timeout with
Emily Simon at the line looking to convert the Golden Eagles third and-one opportunity of the half. Headed into the media timeout, Wheeling put together a 6-0 run to cut the UC lead to 49-36. Despite trailing by as many as 19 in the quarter, the Cardinals fought their way back and cut the UC lead 13 and trailed 60-47 headed into the last quarter.
The teams exchanged baskets over the first two minutes of the final frame before a 5-0 run from
Brooklyn Pannell, who played in her first game since January 22
nd, put the Golden Eagles ahead 70-50. At the final media timeout, Charleston led 76-56. The Golden Eagles and Cardinals exchanged buckets over the final five minutes of the half as Charleston would win their 17
th game of the season by a score of 85-67.
For the game, Charleston finished 50.0% from the field (28-of-56) while holding Wheeling to just 28-of-64 (43.8%). Charleston forced 17 Cardinal turnovers while committing just six of their own to score 15 points on turnovers.
Full recap and box score
here
The Golden Eagles currently sit a half game back of the Pioneers of Glenville State prior to their matchup against Frostburg State on Saturday. Led by Freshman Dakota Reeves, the Golden Eagles have shot the ball effectively from beyond the arc this season (38.8%), good for 8
th in Division II. In addition, Charleston ranks 14
th in scoring offensive in (79.3 ppg), 7
th in field goal percentage (47.5%), and averages 11.0 steals per game. The Golden Eagles are led offensively by Anna Hayton, who averages 19.1 ppg and 8.5 rpg. Three other Golden Eagles come into the game averaging double figure scoring margins.
Scouting the Opponent:
Wheeling comes into the contest holding a record of 8-12 (7-7 MEC). The Cardinals have found their stride as they have each of their last three MEC games against West Liberty, Wesleyan, and Davis & Elkins in their most recent contest. The Cardinals are led offensively by Lilly Ritz, who averages 19.9 points and 14.3 rebounds per contest. Ritz, the sophomore out of Cambridge, Ohio., ranks 3
rd in Division II in rebounds per game and holds the second highest rebounding performance in the country this season (26) which she did so just a week ago against West Liberty.
Things to Know for Wednesday:
- The Golden Eagles, who average 15.9 attempts from 3PT range per game, shot the ball just once from beyond the arc while not converting on December 11th (both season lows).
- Expect the Golden Eagles to continue sharing the ball as five Golden Eagles reached double figure scoring marks on December 11th including 16 from Brooklyn Pannell.
- On December 11th, Charleston held the Hilltoppers to a season-low 26 rebounds. West Liberty averages 37.0 rebounds per contest.
Matchup History:
The Golden Eagles and Hilltoppers have squared off 20 times in their history with West Liberty holding a 13-7 advantage. The Golden Eagles have taken five of the last seven matchups dating back to 2017 but have not won on the road at West Liberty since the 2008 season.
