BUCKHANNON, W.Va. – No. 11 University of Charleston Men's Basketball (22-3, 15-2 MEC) takes down West Virginia Wesleyan (2-23, 1-16 MEC), 81-77, to extend their win streak to eight games and improve to 15-2 in the Mountain East Conference and 22-3 overall. The Golden Eagles outscored the Bobcats 48-24 on points the paint, 19-12 on points off turnovers, 13-9 on bench points, 12-9 on fast break points and 14-13 on second chance points in the win.
Shunta Wilson led Charleston to victory with an outstanding .917 (11-12) field goal percentage, 26 points scored, three blocks, a rebound, an assist and only one personal foul in 33 minutes of play. Dwaine Jones collected six more assists tonight and continues to lead the MEC with 144. Eddie Colbert III is currently the MEC field goal percentage leader, as he has gone 150-287 (.523) in 24 games played. The senior went 6-14 (.429) on the night with 15 points scored, nine rebounds and three assists.
The Basics:
Location: Buckhannon, W.Va.
Score: 81-77 (UCWV)
How it Happened:
The Bobcats drained a three to start the game, but the Golden Eagles responded with a Colbert III dunk and a layup by Tyler Eberhart to overtake the lead. It flip-flopped one more time before UC pulled out in front 8-5 on a basket by Wilson and two free throws by Eberhart. From there, Wesleyan knotted the score up twice but could not gain the momentum they needed to squeeze past Charleston. UC led all the way to the end of the half, concluding it with a score of 43-34.
Wilson scored 18 of his 26 points in the first half with four dunks and two blocks. As a team Charleston shot .586 (17-29) from the field and .889 (8-9) from the line.
The second half saw a huge momentum shift that did not seem to be in favor of the Golden Eagles. The Bobcats started it off, scoring the first five points on a trey and two free throws. A foul by Wesleyan, however, led to two good free throws by Eberhart to collect their first two points of the half. The Bobcats lit up though, as they strung along a ten-point run that included two three-pointers to put them in front for the first time since first three minutes of the game.
With the Charleston offense going cold, Wesleyan continued to lead until a shot from downtown by CJ Meredith evened the score at 56 with 13 minutes to spare on the clock. This prompted a tug-of-war, but the Golden Eagles scraped by on a 14-point run sparked by a three-pointer by Colbert III followed by baskets by DeAirius Barker, Wilson and Jones. The game ended on a layup and triple by the Bobcats, but they came up short and Charleston came out on top 81-77.
Up Next:
UC will honor its seniors on Saturday, February 24, as they host Davis & Elkins College (13-11, 8-8 MEC) in the WehrleInnovation Center with tip off set for 7:30pm.
