GLENVILLE, WV- The Golden Eagle Women's Basketball team's season came to an end on Monday night in Glenville, West Virginia. The ladies were knocked out by a Glenville State team who came out and played with an aggressive passion that the Golden Eagles just couldn't match. The Lady Pioneers who were unbeaten all year until just two games prior finished the night notching a 31-point victory over the Golden Eagles.
 
How it Happened
 
Charleston couldn't get any sort of offense going in the first half. They were outscored by a margin of 27, turned the ball over 13 times and shot just 37% from the field while Glenville shot 60%. Charleston knocked down just two long balls, both by Anastasiia Zakharova, while Glenville drained seven shots from downtown in the half.
 
The second quarter was when the game started to slip away from Charleston. They were outscored 30-13 in the quarter while tallying just three FGs in the period, good enough for just a 20% shooting percentage. The Pioneers, on the other hand, continued to force turnovers and collect rebounds relentlessly. At halftime Charleston trailed 56-29.
 
"They had a different fire in them tonight," said a disappointed Coach Tianni Kelly after the game, "We put a blemish on their perfect season, and they came out with a lot of intensity tonight."
 
The third quarter was the only time that the Golden Eagles outscored the Pioneers and it was thanks to the 10-point run capped by a three-pointer by Dakota Reeves. Reeves who was named to the All-Tournament team ended her night with six points.
 
Anastasiia Zakharova, who played her final game in Maroon and Gold was the workhorse on the defensive end. The Moscow native collected 11 rebounds in the game and played hard all the way up until the final whistle. She collected nine points in the effort while going two for three from long range, notching a steal and four assists on the night.
 
Markyia McCormick led the way on offense with 15 points, seven of which came from the charity stripe in front of a vibrant crowd at the Waco Center.
 
The crowd played a huge role in the contest as the home crowd was thrown into an animated frenzy with every Glenville basket. Pioneer Head Coach Kim Stephens stated after the game, "Wow, the crowd was amazing tonight and they really helped give us energy throughout the game."
 
The game was basically the opposite of the MEC Championship final. The Golden Eagles struggled greatly to knock down shots while the Pioneers continued to pour in bucket after bucket to extend the lead. The Pioneers finished the night shooting 48% from the floor while knocking down 10 of their 27 three pointers. In the second quarter alone, the Lady Pioneers poured on 30 points to the tune of a 68.4% shooting percentage. Glenville also had a ridiculous 28 points off turnovers while Charleston collected just nine such points.
 
The game ended a roar from the Pioneer faithful and a water bottle shower for top ranked Glenville State at center court as they were headed to the Elite Eight in Birmingham, Alabama.
 
The Golden Eagles had an incredible run this year, however. At one point the Marron and Gold were stuck at 8^th in the MEC Standings boasting just a 4-5 record after suffering three straight losses to Glenville, Lincoln (Pa.), Fairmont State and another later to West Liberty . The fact that the Golden Eagles were even in the Mountain East Conference tournament final was impressive in and of itself. However, for a team who had as many injuries, setbacks, and internal struggles as this group did this was a successful season. The Golden Eagles made it to the Sweet Sixteen for the second straight season and handed the number one ranked team in the nation for a month straight in Glenville State their only loss of the season. They claimed back-to-back MEC titles, a feat which has not been accomplished by a team from the capitol city since the inception of the Mountain East Conference. They had two All-Conference selections in Markyia McCormick and Dakota Reeves. Since their beginning of 2022 the team went an astounding 18-4 with two of those losses coming to Glenville State, another by just one point to West Liberty and an 11-point loss to West Virginia State. Three separate times the ladies had win streaks of at least five games throughout the season. The heart in which the team played with was unmatched and they will go down as one of the grittiest teams in UC Women's Basketball history.
 
Coach Tianni Kelly and Bubby Johnson are two of the hardest working individuals in the Mountain East Conference and to achieve what this team has achieved can be attributed to much of the work they do. Coach Johnson works tirelessly to help the team succeed, with many of his tasks going unnoticed. Coach Kelly cares deeply for her players and in just two years has created a championship program that will continue to compete for NCAA Tournament titles for years to come.
 
--UC--