Athens, W. Va – In their first conference matchup of the year, The Golden Eagles took a trip to the southern part of West Virginia to square off against the Concord Mountain Lions. Both teams came into this one off of a tough loss and sought a win to begin conference play. 
 
The Basics
Location: Carter Center
Score: UC 72, CU 57
Records: UC (3-1, 1-0 MEC), CU (1-3, 0-1 MEC) 
 
How it Happened
In the first quarter, Concord managed to jump out to a large lead with a pair of three pointers from Jaisah Smith and Maggie Guynn, but the Golden Eagles rallied back as the time continued to tick. The scoring was well distributed between the Charleston squad, but Clarissa Francis would lead the way offensively as she found eight points. With a pair of Francis free throws at the end of the quarter, the Golden Eagles found themselves with a 19-16 lead. 
 
Sierra Davis would start the scoring in the next period with a quick jumper to cushion their lead. Haley Moore would notch on more points with a pair of jumpers to give the Golden Eagles a 27-20 lead with nearly six minutes remaining in the half. Brionna McClinton was feeling comfortable from beyond the arc as she sunk two three-pointers within 20 seconds giving Charleston a 10-point lead. Concord would claw back to within with a 7-0 run to end the half, but the Golden Eagles maintained a 33-30 lead heading into the locker room. 
 
After a Maggie Stephenson layup, Francis would pick up right where she left off and convert on an and-one layup underneath the basket for a four-point lead. Although not very many points were scored from either side, Charleston continued to find their points within the paint and light up their lead. The quarter would end with a Sierra Davis three-pointer at the last second and Charleston held an 11-point lead heading into the final quarter of play. 
 
In just two quarters of play, The Golden Eagles only allowed 27 total points from the Mountain Lions and proceeded to spread the difference, scoring 22 points in the fourth quarter alone. Charleston would go 40% (6-15) from the field and perfect from three-point land on a pair of triples from Abby Lee and Kiley Graham. After Trinity Palacio's final layup with 44 seconds left would be the final points of the game as Charleston took home the 72-57 victory.  
 
Up Next
The Golden Eagles will have their first conference matchup at home this upcoming Tuesday, but it will be anything but easy. They will take on the Glenville State Pioneers, who were previously crowned the 2021-2022 Division II National Champions. Tip-off is set for 2:00 PM on November 22^nd at the Wehrle Innovation Center.