Fairmont, W. Va – Charleston would face the Fairmont State Falcons in the Joe Retton Arena on Wednesday night for another tough test in the Mountain East Conference. The Falcons came into this matchup at the top of the MEC rankings with a 10-3 conference record, while the Golden Eagles sat in the middle of the pack at 8-5. 
 
The Basics
Location: Joe Retton Arena
Score: UC 70, FSU 66
Records: UC 13-8 (9-5 MEC), FSU 16-5 (10-4 MEC)
 
How it Happened
Despite both sides knocking in half of their shots in the opening quarter, the Falcons would have the better start to the game in their home arena, outscoring the Golden Eagles 20-12. Charleston would hold an 8-6 lead midway through the quarter after Paris Stokes drained a shot from within the perimeter, but the Falcons would rally back to take an eight-point lead over the visitors. Zaniya Murray's layup with five seconds remaining in the quarter gave Fairmont State the 20-12 advantage heading into the second quarter. The Falcons would shut down the attack from Clarrissa Francis who has been a reliable weapon for the Golden Eagles this season. Adjusting to the gameplan, Charleston found their ability to shoot from beyond the perimeter, hitting three of their seven attempts. They would go on to shoot 47% from the floor and put themselves right back in the game. Hayley Moore would have the final basket of the first half with a triple from distance to cut the lead to just two points heading into the halftime break. 
 
The Falcons would maintain their lead for the duration of the third period, but the Golden Eagles kept themselves alive in the game, matching every point that Fairmont State put on the board. Both teams would put up 18 points each in the period, with Charleston's Taylor Austin contributing 10 points in the third quarter alone. Kiley Graham would also make an impact in the period with six points with her close-range shots. It would remain a one possession game heading into the final quarter of action. 
 
Charleston would play tremendous defense in the fourth quarter only allowing the Falcons to put 12 points on the board, which would not be enough to defend their lead. Ksenija Mitric's three-pointer at the 6:28 mark in the quarter would be the final lead change of the night. Charleston would shoot 55% from the floor in the quarter, but struggled from the charity stripe hitting just 50% of their free throws; however, when it mattered most Haley Moore would deliver two clutch free throws in the dying stages of the game to take a two-score lead with not enough time on the clock for a last-second comeback. After being down majority of the game, Charleston would come from behind and take the 70-66 victory over Fairmont State. 
 
Up Next
The Golden Eagles will be back in the Wehrle Innovation Center this Saturday as they take on the Frostburg State Bobcats on February 10^th at 2:00 PM.