CHARLESTON, W. Va. – Davis & Elkins stayed within striking distance throughout the second half, but could never close the gap in a 94-88 loss to Charleston (W. Va.) on Wednesday night in Mountain East Conference (MEC) play.
Davis & Elkins was powered by a tri of 20-point scorers in the contest, including a team-high 25 points from
Myles Monroe on 11-of-15 shooting from the floor.
Erkam Kiris poured in 22 points and grabbed six boards, while
Donte Doleman had 23 points with four shots coming from beyond the arc.
Charleston (W. Va.) placed five players in double figures and received a game-high 35 points from Drew Rackely, who recorded his 1,000
th point at Charleston in the win. Seth O'Neal had 18 points and handed out seven assists for the Golden Eagles, while Keith Williams (14), Lamont McManus (13) and Devon Robinson (10) all finished in double-digits.
Despite the Senators outscoring Charleston 48-44 in the second half, the Golden Eagles led for nearly 38 minutes. D&E falls to 1-10 on the road in the team's fifth consecutive loss.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Charleston shot out to a 6-2 lead over the first three minutes of the contest before D&E began to find its shooting touch. After several buckets from Kiris, Monroe popped a trey to make it a two-point game at 14-12. The theme throughout the contest, Charleston answered its next time down the floor to widen the margin to two possessions at 16-12.
- Emre Yildirim lined up a three at 12:32 and Monroe cut the D&E deficit to one with a three following a pair of McManus foul shots and a jumper from O'Neal. Consecutive layups for Monroe pushed the Senators to a 26-25 lead at 8:15 before Charleston took the lead following an offense rebound at 27-26. The Golden Eagles would not trail for the remainder of the half, taking a 50-40 lead into the halftime break.
- Both teams were scoreless for a few minutes to start the second half, but a 7-0 D&E run that included a three from Doleman made it a five-point game at 52-47. Charleston briefly moved the ledger back to double figures, but the Senators continued to push the pace, ultimately trimming the Golden Eagle lead to four on a Kiris layup.
- Two more baskets by Kiris, one a layup and the other a three-pointer, brought the Senators to within four once again on each occasion. The senior eventually fired home a three to make the score 82-79, but Rackley absorbed contact and finished the and-one on the ensuing Charleston possession. Keith Williams converted a dagger three with just under two minutes left in the second half, which pushed Charleston ahead by eight at 89-81.
GAME NOTES
- Charleston made the most of D&E's limited miscues, converting 17 points off 11 Senator turnovers.
- Monroe scored his third 20-point game of the season and first since January 18 at Concord.
- Rackley scored his 1,000th point at Charleston on a made foul shot. The former DI transfer had previously reached the milestone earlier in his career, but secured the feat in less than two years with the Golden Eagles.
- Kiris tied his career high scoring output with 22 points for the third time this season.
- Former Golden Eagle Teemu Tumanoff gave D&E a bit of a spark off the bench with his nine minutes.
- Mandela Baledrokadroka was active in multiple facets tonight, passing out six assists. He has handed out five or more assists 10 times this season.
UP NEXT
- Davis & Elkins is back home this weekend, welcome West Virginia State for Senior Day on Saturday, February 15 at 4:00 PM.
