Charleston, W. Va – In their second meeting of the year, the Golden Eagles faced the Wheeling Cardinals at home following their incredible win over West Virginia State in the same venue a few days prior. Charleston tainted Wheeling's 8-0 record in the first meeting back in December in the Alma Grace McDonough Gym with a 66-53 victory. 
 
The Basics
Location: Wehrle Innovation Center
Score: UC 62, WU 56
Records: UC 11-8 (7-5 MEC), WU 14-6 (9-3 MEC)
 
How it Happened
The Cardinals would have an exceptional opening quarter on the road, shooting 54% from the field to put up 15 points in the period. They would limit Charleston to just 11 points as the Golden Eagles would convert on just 26% of their shots. In the second quarter, however, Charleston had woken up from their shaky start and would begin to light up the floor in their home arena. After being down by four, the Golden Eagles would go on a 15-3 run to take the lead at 26-18 lead at the 4:46 mark following a fastbreak jumper from Nakiyah Bumgardner-Ferguson. Wheeling's shooting percentage would take a dive to 33%, while Charleston would nearly double their conversion rate from the previous quarter. They would go 5-7 from beyond the arc, ending the quarter with back-to-back three pointers from Taylor Austin and Ksenija Mitric to take a 32-24 lead into the locker room. 
 
The third quarter would be a back-and-forth battle between the two sides, which allowed for Charleston to maintain a multiple score lead over the Cardinals. Wheeling would get back on track with their 54% shooting rate from the floor. Through a well-balanced attack, Nia Vanzant would contribute six points in the quarter along with Ksenija Mitric who put up four. Charleston would hold a 47-41 lead heading into the final quarter of action. 
 
Wheeling would put themselves in reach of tying the ballgame up early on in the quarter with two quick baskets, but Charleston would build their lead back up to an 11-point advantage with 2:36 left in the game. The Cardinals would have too large of a mountain to climb despite their efforts to level the game, giving Charleston the 62-56 win at home. 
 
Up Next
Charleston will face the West Liberty Hilltoppers in the Academic Sports and Recreation Complex on February 3^rd at 2:00 PM. The Golden Eagles got the better of the Hilltoppers in their last meeting with a 94-60 victory at home.