Box Score WHEELING, W. VA. -- The University of Charleston Women's Basketball team improved to 23-6 for the 2019-20 campaign with an 86-53 defeat over the Falcons from Fairmont State in the Quarterfinal round of the Mountain East Conference Tournament on Thursday at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, W. Va. The Golden Eagles were led offensively by Anna Hayton, who finished the game with 25 points and nine rebounds while Dakota Reeves finished with 20 points on six made three-point attempts.
 
The game began with Charleston converting the opening basket before Fairmont State jumped out to a 5-2 lead just under two minutes into the first quarter. Headed into the first media timeout of the quarter, the Falcons held a 7-6 lead behind three points from Kamrin Weimer. Each team forced three turnovers while Hayton recorded all six of Charleston's points through the first five minutes. The first basket outside of Hayton came at the 3:40 mark as Trinity Palacio drained a pair of mid-range jump shots to push the UC lead to 10-7. The Charleston scoring run was extended to 7-0 from the 4:01 to 1:08 mark in the opening quarter before Weimer converted her second three of the contest to cut the Golden Eagle lead to 13-10 at the end of the first frame.
 
A total of ten turnovers between the two teams in the first quarter led to limited scoring as Charleston was only able to score two fastbreak points on six Falcon turnovers.
 
The Golden Eagles were able to begin the second quarter on a 5-0 run over a three-minute span before Fairmont State's sharp-shooting threat Sierra Kotchman recorded her first bucket of the game from three-point range. Following the bucket, Charleston broke out again on a 10-0 run to increase their lead to 28-13. The Golden Eagles increased their lead to twenty, holding a 41-21 lead with just under a minute left in the first half before Hayton headed to the bench with 17 points (8-of-8 FG) and six rebounds. Reeves sent Charleston into the break holding a 44-23 lead after drilling a three-pointer in the final seconds of the half.
 
For the half, Charleston was able to shoot 56.0% (19-of-34) while holding Fairmont State, who averages just over 80.0 points per game to 32.0% in the half (8-of-25). The Golden Eagles, who hold the 8^th best three-point shooting percentage in Division II (37.9%), shot an astonishing 63 percent in the half (5-of-8) including four from the hands of Reeves. The Golden Eagles outrebounded the opposition 21-12 while holding a 24-6 advantage in the paint led by Hayton with 17.
 
To begin the second half, Hayton continued to shoot the ball efficiently, as the Senior worked her way through Falcon defenders down low. Hayton, who at the 6:37 mark of the third quarter continued her perfect shooting (11-of-11), led all scorers with 25 points with Charleston ahead 52-33. Headed into the media break, the Golden Eagles led 54-36 on 4-of-7 shooting. Charleston's superb defensive effort held the Falcons scoreless for a four-minute span in the third quarter as the Golden Eagles finished the quarter on a 9-2 run to extend their lead to 65-40.
 
To begin the fourth quarter, Charleston was able to put the game out of reach as a 10-2 run over the first four and a half minutes of the quarter had UC leading 75-42. At the final media break of the contest, Charleston held a 77-45 lead. Over the final minutes of the quarter, the teams exchanged buckets with the Golden Eagles holding on to an 86-52 win.
 
For the game, Charleston finished shooting 55.0% from the field (36-of-65) while holding Fairmont State to 33 percent from the floor (20-of-60). Most notably, Charleston was able to hold Sierra Kotchman to 13 points, seven below her season average. The Golden Eagles forced 18 Falcon turnovers to outscore the opposition 18-13 in points off turnovers.
 
Charleston Leaders (36-of-55, 55.0% from the floor)
Anna Hayton – 25 points, 9 rebounds
Dakota Reeves – 20 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist
Brooklyn Pannell – 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist
 
Fairmont State Leaders (20-of-60, 33.0% from the floor)
Sierra Kotchman – 13 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist
Rachel Laskody – 12 points, 7 rebounds
 
Up Next:
The Golden Eagles will move on to the semifinal round of the MEC Tournament on Saturday against the Falcons from Notre Dame College with tip scheduled for 2:15 p.m.