Fairmont, W.Va. – The Golden Eagles faced off with 12^th ranked Fairmont State in a Mountain East Conference road match. Despite being tied at the half, the Golden Eagles eventually fell to the Fighting Falcons for their first conference loss.
 
The Basics:
Location: Joe Retton Arena
Score: UC 88, FSU 96
Records: UC 5-4 (3-1 MEC) Fairmont State 7-0 (4-0 MEC)
 
How it Happened:
The battle of two 3-0 in conference play teams was sure to be a battle. The first ten minutes of the contest where well contested, both teams trading points back and forth. The next two minutes were all Fairmont State, going on a run and taking a ten-point advantage to lead 29-19 with just over seven minutes to go in the first half. The Golden Eagles managed to get the game back to even as the buzzer sounded at the half, the score 43-43.
 
The first several buckets of the second half were traded, Charleston holding the lead for several moments with a three-point lead. The Fighting Falcons and the Golden Eagles continued to battle and trade points, Fairmont State slightly taking the edge around the five-minute mark with a nine-point advantage, increasing it to a thirteen-point lead as the clock continued to wind down, 2 minutes left in regulation. Charleston tried their efforts to fight back, forced to foul to regain possession, but the Fighting Falcons held their lead, eventually taking the contest 96-88.
 
CJ Meredith led the Golden Eagles with 21 points and seven rebounds. Four other Charleston players also seeing double digit points in the contest.
 
Up Next:
Charleston will hit the road on Wednesday, December 11^th at 7:30PM to take on another tough opponent in #4 nationally ranked West Liberty.