Charleston, WV – The Golden Eagles continued their homestand at the Wehrle Innovation Center on Wednesday night, edging Wheeling University in a tightly contested Mountain East Conference matchup, 67–64.

The Basics

• Location: Wehrle Innovation Center
• Final Score: UC 67, WU 64 
• Records: Charleston (12-7, 9-3 MEC), Wheeling (10-9, 5-6 MEC)

How It Happened
Wheeling struck first, opening the game on a 5–0 run before Paris Stokes got Charleston on the board with a layup. Harper Annarino followed with a basket of her own to cut the deficit to one, but the Cardinals maintained momentum and built a seven-point advantage midway through the first quarter. Charleston responded with a surge of its own. Behind Stokes and Jordan Scully, who combined for nine points in the period, the Golden Eagles closed the quarter on a strong run to take an 18–12 lead.
The second quarter proved to be a back-and-forth battle. Wheeling tied the game at 24 with five minutes remaining, and both teams went cold offensively over the next three minutes. After trading baskets late in the half, Annarino's layup sent UC into the break with a slim 31–28 advantage.

Charleston took control in the third quarter. Natalie Smith sparked the offense with a three-pointer followed by a layup to push the lead to seven. Wheeling attempted to keep pace, but the Golden Eagles' offensive rhythm proved too much. With 2:26 left in the quarter, Ksenija Mitric scored in the paint to give UC its first double-digit lead. A late free throw by the Cardinals made it a 9-point game heading into the final period.
Wheeling refused to go away. After Stokes converted an and-one to extend Charleston's lead to six with 6:47 remaining, the Cardinals found their groove and rallied back. Three minutes later, Wheeling grabbed a one-point lead on a layup. Mitric answered in a big way, knocking down three deep three-pointers, one coming on a step-back jumper, to keep Charleston within striking distance. Wheeling briefly regained the lead at 64–63, but Stokes took over in the closing moments, scoring the final four points of the game to seal the 67–64 victory for the Golden Eagles.

Charleston dominated inside, outscoring Wheeling 32–18 in the paint. Stokes led all scorers with 23 points, adding seven rebounds and three assists in a standout performance.

Next Up 
Charleston hits the road to face West Liberty on Saturday, January 31, with tipoff scheduled for 2 p.m.