Charleston, W. Va – In front of a filled Wehrle Innovation Center crowd, the Golden Eagles and the Yellow Jackets squared off in their first meeting of the season. Both Charleston and West Virginia State looked to bounce back after each team suffered a loss on the previous Wednesday. 
 
The Basics
Location: Wehrle Innovation Center
Score: UC 104, WVSU 101 (2OT)
Records: UC 10-8 (6-5 MEC), WVSU 10-8 (6-5 MEC)
 
How it Happened
This is a matchup that is always highly anticipated each year regardless of the venue, but those who came to the Capital City to watch this one on Saturday would be in for a treat. 
 
Despite the Yellow Jackets jumping out to a 4-0 lead early on in the contest, the Golden Eagles would keep up with State throughout the first period and would begin to take the lead in the final stages of the first quarter with a 6-2 run inside the final 1:30. The run would be highlighted with a triple by Charleston's Ksenija Mitric to give Charleston the 25-20 lead heading into the second period. State would once again start fast; this time going on a 7-0 and taking back the lead at 27-25. Similar to Wednesday when Charleston faced Concord, the full court press was in full effect for the duration of the game, but the Golden Eagles learned from their mistakes and handled the pressure with poise, working their way up the court consistently. After Jamia Nesmith's successful trip to the line to tie up the game at 27-27, the Golden Eagles would take the lead with two free throws from Clarrissa Francis who had a busy night at the free throw line. Midway through the quarter Francis would score seven consecutive points for Charleston, and her layup at the 5:34 mark would give the Golden Eagles the 34-29 lead. Charleston would finish the quarter with a 50% rate from the floor and held a 46-38 advantage going into the locker room. 
 
Charleston extended their lead to as much as 13 points to start the third quarter and would maintain a comfortable lead throughout the period with the Yellow Jackets inability to shoot in the quarter, converting just 25% of their shots from the floor and 2-11 from beyond the arc. Heading into the fourth quarter, Charleston held a 62-52 lead going the period. State would use the fourth quarter to chip away at the large deficit they faced against their cross-town rival and would find themselves down by four points with 11 seconds left in regulation. Emyah Fortenberry of State would draw a foul and head to the line for two shots with both teams in the bonus this late in the period. After making her first shot, her second would bounce off the rim and Imani Reid would snatch the rebound. In the most improbable fashion with time winding down, Zakorrah Russell would drain a triple to tie the game at 78-78. Charleston would have six seconds left to try and win the game, but would be haunted by a double-dribble, giving State the final shot of regulation. Russell would once again attempt to shock the arena with another clutch three-pointer but would be blocked by Mitric and we would head to overtime. 
 
As entertaining as regulation was, the excitement would move into the overtime period as Charleston began to stretch away from the visitors with back-to-back triples from Mitric and Nakiyah Bumgardner-Ferguson to take an 84-80 lead that was extended by Francis once again with a basket from underneath. Just when it seemed that Charleston was going to ride their momentum to victory, the Yellow Jackets came right back with six consecutive points on the board to knot things up at 89-89. Russell would convert just one free throw at the line after a foul from Nesmith with 56 seconds left to play. Her free throw would be matched and raised by Francis' perfect trip to the line. With 34 seconds left in overtime, Russell would be fouled once again and connected on just one shot to tie the game at 91-91. After a missed three-pointer from Bumgardner-Ferguson, State's close-range attempt to win the game would parry off the rim and we would head to a second overtime. 
 
This period would come down to each team's ability to hit free throws, but there would be plenty of three-pointers for each team's faithful to cheer about throughout the quarter. Russell's three-pointer at the 2:40 mark would give State a 98-95 lead that would then be followed with Ashley Kerekes' triple for the 101-97 lead. A free throw from Mitric and a layup from Francis would get the Golden Eagles to within one of their rivals. Francis would be fouled with 13 seconds left in the quarter and despite the extra 10 minutes of basketball, Francis would remain calm and composed heading to the free throw line for crucial points. She would deliver on both of her shots, giving Charleston the 102-101 lead late in the game. Zakorrah Russell would be fouled with six seconds remaining, but would miss both of her shots at the line. Francis would hit two more free throws with very little time left to give the Golden Eagles a three-point lead with just three seconds. Shelby Harmeyer's desperation attempt from the halfway line would sail left of the rim and Charleston had finally written the ending to an instant classic to take the 104-101 victory. 
 
The Texan would finish with 39 points and 10 rebounds, contributing 13 crucial free throws in a game where it mattered most. Mitric would put up a season-high of 20 points in the 49 minutes of basketball that she played.
 
Up Next
After an exhilarating weekend, Charleston will host the Wheeling Cardinals this Wednesday in the Wehrle Innovation Center on January 31^st at 5:30 PM.