CHARLESTON, W.Va.—University of Charleston Men's Basketball (1-1) downed Salem University (1-1) 78-63 on Friday and fell to Gannon University (2-0) 91-83 on Saturday in the Region Tip Off Challenge hosted by the Golden Eagles.
The Basics:
Location: Charleston, W.Va.
Score: Game One - 78-63 UCWV; Game Two - 91-83 GU
How it Happened:
Game One: Charleston vs. Salem
Salem got on the board first on a layup and two free throws, but Charleston pulled ahead 5-4 on a Dwaine Jones three-pointer assisted by DeAirius Barker and a layup by Eddie Colbert III. A Tigers free throw knotted the score at five and a layup gave them a 8-5 lead over Charleston. The Golden Eagles cut the deficit to one point and evened the score at eight on a layup and free throw by Barker, but Salem regained control on a jumper to give them a 10-8 advantage over UC. The Tigers held the lead until a free throw by CJ Meredith, a jump shot and a three-pointer by Colbert III put Charleston ahead 14-10. The Golden Eagles dominated the rest of the half with Colbert leading the offense with a dunk, four rebounds, three free throws, a layup and an assist. The first half concluded with Charleston beating Salem 38-26.
With a 12 point cushion going into the second frame, the Golden Eagles continued to pour it on with two three-pointers by Colbert III and Barker and a jumper by Jones to extend Charleston's lead to 46-32. From there, after a missed jump shot by Salem, Jones rebounded the ball and assisted Colbert III in his second dunk of the night. The Tigers eventually shaved the 14 point lead down to six, but that was as close as they would get as the UC train kept on chugging towards the end of the half. The Golden Eagles sealed the deal on a three pointer by Keaton Turner and a layup by Barker to give them the 78-63 victory over Salem.
Charleston's bench out scored Salem 16-3 with the help of CJ Meredith (13 points, 3-3 from three, 2-3 on free throws, one assist) and Ziri Blackwood (3 points, 1-4 from three). Eddie Colbert III led the Golden Eagles' offense with 23 points in 28 minutes played and a 52.9 field goal percentage. Defensively DeAirius Barker guided Charleston with four steals, while Tyler Eberhart, CJ Meredith and Obinna Ugwuakazi collected a block each.
Game Two: Charleston vs. Gannon
Like Salem in game one, Gannon University jumped to an early 7-2 lead over Charleston on free throws and layups. The Golden Eagles managed to quickly put themselves back in the game with a layup by Meredith and two free throws by Jones to make the score 7-4. A block by Meredith and a steal and a layup by Jones cut the deficit to one, but the Golden Knights were not phased as they went on to stretch their lead to 15-8. The Golden Eagles continued to trail Gannon until they tied the score and pulled ahead 40-37 on to two Meredith free throws and a dunk assisted by Shunta Wilson. The Golden Eagles were unable to hold the lead and entered the second half trailing 45-39.
Gannon had the upper hand in the second half, but Charleston cut the lead and evened the score on a jump shot by Eberhart and two layups by Meredith. The Golden Eagles were unable to overtake the Golden Knights though, as they went on to drop game two of the Region Tip Off Challenge to Gannon 91-83.
Up Next:
Charleston travels to Athens, West Virginia on November 18 to face Concord University in their first conference matchup of the season. The game will start at 4pm in the Carter Center.
