aCHARLESTON, W. Va.—University of Charleston defeats Notre Dame College (6-7, 2-6 MEC) 98-79 at home to improve to 10-2 overall and 6-1 in conference play. With this win, Charleston is currently tied with West Liberty University for first place in the Mountain East Conference. 

The Basics:
Location: Charleston, WV
Score: 98-79 (UCWV)

How it Happened:
The Golden Eagles came out of the gates firing on all cylinders, as they scored the first six points of the game on baskets from Eddie Colbert III and a Keaton Turner jump shot. The Falcons scored their first two points on a layup, but three straight treys by Dwaine Jones, Tyler Eberhart and Colbert III put the Golden Eagles out in front 15-5. Charleston only continued to heat up from that point on, as the rest of the half featured two slam dunks by Obinna Ugwuakazi and three-pointers by Shunta Wilson (2), CJ Meredith, Eberhart and Turner. UC concluded the first half leading NDC by 34 points.

Charleston started the second half with a seven-point run with a jumper by Eberhart and a layup and a shot from downtown by Colbert III. From there, Notre Dame caught some momentum, scoring the next 13 points to cut the lead down to 28. This did not shake the Golden Eagles though, as they continued to lead the rest of the way with a dunk by Shunta Wilson and baskets by DeAirius Barker, Meredith, Ugwuakazi, Jones, Eberhart, Colbert III, Turner and Wilson.

The Golden Eagles battled hard, as they led the Falcons 17-9 on second chance points. Their bench also out scored Notre Dame 35-22, which played a big factor in the win. Colbert III propelled the Charleston offense to victory with 19 points scored in 18 minutes of game play. The senior forward also shot 67 percent from the floor with three rebounds and an assist. Like Colbert III, Jones and Eberhart played key roles in the win. Jones tallied up six assists and 14 points, while Eberhart had four assists and 17 points. On top of that, both players were perfect from the field shooting 6-6. 

Up Next:
Charleston will head to Virginia Union University in Richmond, Virginia on Monday, January 15 for a 6pm matchup. The Panthers are currently 6-11 overall and 1-5 in Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association.