CHARLESTON, W.Va.—University of Charleston Men's Basketball picks up a huge 76-72 victory over No.17 West Liberty University (15-5, 9-3 MEC) to improve to 16-3 overall and 11-2 in conference play. Eddie Colbert III played a key role in the victory, as he shot a double-double with 24 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and a steal. Currently, the Golden Eagles lead the Mountain East Conference by two games.

The Basics:
Location: West Liberty, W.Va.
Score: 76-72 (UCWV)

How it Happened:
A layup by Tyler Eberhart is how the scoring started, but the Hilltoppers sunk two of their own to put them ahead 4-2. DeAirius Barker continued the trend to even the score, however West Liberty regained the lead on two free throws. Charleston knotted it up one more time before WLU extended the lead to 18-10, capped off by a dunk by the Hilltopper's Darren Fergus. The Golden Eagles eventually caught up though, tying the score at 24 on a trey by CJ Meredith and baskets by Shunta Wilson, Keaton Turner and Colbert III. Following a 30 second time out by West Liberty, a dunk by Obinna Ugwuakazi gave the Golden Eagles the lead again, sparking another tug-of-war. Despite their efforts, Charleston found themselves trailing 33-32 going into the second half.

The Golden Eagles lit up in the second half, shooting 11-16 (.688) from the field compared to the first half's 13-27 (.482). Like the first, Eberhart started the scoring off for UC with a free throw followed by a nine point run with buckets by Barker, Wilson and Colbert III. After a West Liberty and media time out, the Hilltoppers regained their momentum, cutting the deficit back down to one with fourteen minutes and 23 seconds left on the clock. The Golden Eagles answered back though with a layup, two free throws and a dunk by Wilson, making the score 48-44. From there, the lead changed hands multiple times until Charleston came out on top, 76-72. 

The offense was led by Colbert III, as he shot 5-8 (.625) from the floor, 1-1 from three and 13-14 (.929) from the line with 24 points, three offensive rebounds and two assists. The senior is currently 111-214 on the season and leads the Mountain East Conference in field goal percentage as a result.

Up Next:
The Golden Eagles look to continue on with their winning ways on Wednesday, February 7, as they will take on Fairmont State University (15-5, 8-5 MEC) at 7:30pm in the Joe Reston Arena. Charleston defeated the Fighting Falcons 77-72 at home earlier this season.