Charleston, W.Va – The University of Charleston Women's Basketball team took on the visiting West Viriginia Wesleyan Bobcats. The Golden Eagles entered the ball game winners of 5 of their last 6 games with the lone loss coming to West Liberty in their previous game. Tianni Kelly's team came out hungry for a win and there was no shortage of effort on the night from ladies.
 
THE BASICS
Location: H. Bernard Wehlre Arena – Charleston W.Va
Score: UC – 91 WVWC – 60
Records: Charleston (13-7, 11-5 MEC) Wesleyan (2-16, 1-15 MEC)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
Charleston entered the matchup locked in at 4^th place in the MEC. UC's leading scorer Markyia McCormick came in averaging 16 ppg which is top six in the MEC. Moscow native Anastasiia Zakharova leads the Golden Eagles with 106 rebounds, which is top 25 in the MEC. Dakota Reeves would go on to have her best game since returning from an ankle injury adding a season high 28 points.
 
The Golden Eagles started the contest off hot by tallying 10 unanswered points in the first five minutes forcing a timeout by Bobcat head coach Brett Vincent. UC added to their lead with a three from sharpshooter Dakota Reeves. The Bobcats finally got on the board with 2:40 to play in the first quarter. Dakota added another three-point play with 47 seconds left in the quarter after making a layup through contact and draining her foul shot. The period ended with UC up 18-4.
 
To start the second quarter Dakota Reeves was again fouled, this time from beyond the arc. She would again make her free throws to give the Golden Eagles a 21-6 lead just 30 seconds into the period. At the midway point in the second, UC held a 32-17 lead after extending the lead with a three from Virginia native Trinity Palacio. The Golden Eagles ran into a bit of foul trouble in the second, allowing the Bobcats to get into the bonus with three minutes remaining in the half. The Golden Eagles were able to extend to 13 by the end of the first half with a score of 41-28.
 
The Bobcats came out of the locker room and tallied an early bucket on a layup and subsequently forced a turnover but were unable to convert. Transfer Anastasiia Zakharova marched right down the court, made a layup, drew a foul and made her free throw to regain the 13-point cushion. Midway through the third quarter Charleston still maintained their, making two more three-point plays from fouls by the Bobcats. The Golden Eagles played both sides of the ball well, forcing turnovers constantly and scoring from those turnovers. This was evidenced as the clock ticked just under five minutes and Dakota Reeves nailed her second three of the night. A McCormick layup would force a timeout by the Bobcats with the score locked at 57-34 in favor of Charleston. UC would end the quarter up by a score of 66-37.
 
With the lead so high, the head coach Tianni Kelly was able to get some playing time to players who will likely be important players moving forward into succeeding seasons. It also allowed players like Trinity Palacio, who leads Charleston in minutes per game, to get some much-needed rest. Bobcat foul trouble early in the final quarter of play allowed the Golden Eagles to enter the bonus just four minutes into the final period. The final minutes of the game would be mostly uneventful with the Golden Eagles adding to their already insurmountable lead. The final tally came to 91-60 in favor of UC. The 31-point win would be the largest margin of victory for the Golden Eagles on the season thus far.
 
UP NEXT
The Golden Eagles will travel to Elkins, WV to take on the Senators of Davis and Elkins on Saturday, February 12 at 2 p.m.
 
--UC--