CHARLESTON, W. Va.—With home court advantage, University of Charleston Men's Basketball defeats No. 2 nationally ranked West Liberty University 92-83 to take over the first place spot in the Mountain East Conference. Junior DeAirius Barker led Charleston with a career high of 27 points, while shooting 73 percent from the floor with two assists. The Golden Eagles improve to 6-1 overall and 5-0 in conference play with this victory.

The Basics:
Location: Charleston, W.Va.
Score: 92-83

How it Happened:
Your reigning Mountain East Conference Player of the Week, Eddie Colbert III, started the game off strong for the Golden Eagles, as he sunk a three-pointer to put Charleston on the board first. The Hilltoppers responded with a trey of their own to even the score, but the teams went on to trade baskets until a Keaton Turner three-pointer put UC ahead 8-5. The Golden Eagles led the Hilltoppers the rest of the way with baskets from Barker, Tyler Eberhart, Shunta Wilson, Ziri Blackwood, Obinna Ugwuakazi and Dwaine Jones. The first half concluded with Charleston out in front, 38-27.

In the second half, Barker started the scoring off for Charleston with a pair of triples, followed by a Colbert III layup to make it 44-31. The Hilltoppers tried to put themselves back in the game, but the Golden Eagles continued to pour it on with shots from Barker, Meredith and Ugwuakazi to extend their lead to 55-42. Following a commercial timeout, Ugwuakazi flushed a slam dunk to continue to swing the momentum in Charleston's favor. From there, UC continued to lead throughout the half, but the Hilltoppers managed to cut the lead to five, making it a 75-70 game. It did not shake the Golden Eagles though, as Charleston went on to pad their lead and close out the scoring on a free throw by Eberhart to give them the 92-83 victory.

In 34 minutes played, Barker led the Golden Eagles offense with 27 points. The junior shot 73 percent from the floor, 71 percent from three and 75 percent from the line with five rebounds and two assists. Jones also played a key role offensively, leading the team with a total of seven assists. Defensively, Meredith took control with two blocks and a steal.

Up Next:
On Saturday, December 9, UC Men's Basketball heads to Wheeling, West Virginia to take on the Cardinals in another Mountain East Conference match up. The game will start at 4pm in the Alma Grace McDonough Gym.