WHEELING, W.Va.—No. 12 University of Charleston Men's Basketball defeats Notre Dame College (15-14, 8-12 MEC) 75-58 in their first game of the Mountain East Conference Men's Basketball Tournament. With this victory, the Golden Eagles advance to the semifinals and improve to 25-4 overall.
 
The Basics:
Location: Wheeling, WV
Score: 75-58 (W, UCWV)
 
How it Happened:
The Falcons won the tip-off, but after a failed three-point attempt, the Golden Eagles gained possession of the ball and scored the first two points on a layup by Tyler Eberhart. With Notre Dame struggling from the field from the gates, Charleston went on a five-point run with baskets from Shunta Wilson and Eberhart. From there, NDC managed to notch two points on a layup of their own, but the Golden Eagles continued to bring the heat as the half progressed. Trailing by 12 points, Notre Dame gained some momentum and managed to cut the score in half on a pair of layups. This did not slow UC down though, as Obinna Ugwuakazi responded to the Flacons' baskets in style with a slam dunk. NDC kept chipping away, eventually making the score 18-10 to put them within reach of the Golden Eagles. Both teams went back-and-forth until Charleston picked up speed again, stringing along a 10-point run that featured solid free point shooting from DeAirius Barker, CJ Meredith and Ugwuakazi and two-pointers by Eddie Colbert III, Barker and Wilson. Compared to NDC's .250 (8-32) field goal percentage, UC shot .464 (13-28) and closed out the half leading 32-20.
 
The Golden Eagles got it started in the second with a layup by Dwaine Jones, but the Falcons also put up two points via a layup. This set the tone for much of the half, as both teams traded two-pointers and treys. NDC knocked the lead down to eleven, however a shot from downtown by Jones broke it open for UC. Charleston extended their lead to sixteen and reached the 60-point mark on a fast break layup by Jones before Notre Dame called their third timeout of the game with nine minutes remaining on the clock. Following the timeout, Jones sunk his third basket in a row and notched his fifteenth point of the game to make the score 62-44. 
 
Both teams played stronger in the second half. NDC improved their field goal percentage to .452 (14-31), and their three-point percentage rocketed from a mere .118 (2-17) to .667 (6-9). Charleston also saw improvements in their shooting, going 19-for-27 (.704) from the field and  5-for-10 (.500) from three. The Golden Eagles earned the victory by capitalizing on second chance points and points in the paint. They outscored the Falcons 13-8 on second chance points and 52-24 on points in the paint. Meredith tallied the last two points of the game to end it, 75-58. 
 
Wilson was the top scorer for Charleston. The junior collected 21 points on the night, while shooting an impressive .769 (10-13) from the field with seven rebounds and one assist. Jones also played solid basketball for the Golden Eagles. He led the team with three steals and shot a field goal percentage of .778 (7-9) with five rebounds, three assists and a block.
 
Up Next:
As the No. 1 seed, Charleston will face the winner of game number four, which is currently taking place at the WestBanco Arena between No. 2 West Virginia State University and No. 6 Concord University. Game five is set for 6pm on Saturday, March 9.