ELKINS, W.Va. – Davis & Elkins fell behind to ninth-ranked Charleston (W.Va.) in the first quarter and could never recover in an 84-55 loss on Wednesday night inside the McDonnell Center.
Sydney Nestor and
Allie Taylor fired home nine points each for Davis & Elkins (1-3, 1-3 MEC), which committed 28 turnovers. Brooklyn Pannell dropped in 32 points for Charleston (W.Va.) (5-0, 5-0 MEC), while Erykah Russell had 20 points and nine boards.
The Golden Eagles used a fast-paced attack to overwhelm the Senators. UC held a commanding 31-11 edge in points off turnovers and a 44-22 margin in the paint.
Jessica Eadsforth-Yates handed D&E a 5-2 lead early before UC pulled ahead 14-7 following three consecutive fastbreak hoops from Pannell. The Golden Eagles expanded that lead to 19-7 in an early scoring run that proved to be the difference.
Taylor canned a trey with just over 30 seconds left in the opening frame, but the Golden Eagles moved their advantage to 17 off a Pannell jumper just over two minutes into the second. A trey from Haley Moore pushed the UC lead to 46-24 at the break.
Unable to whittle down the deficit, Nestor hit a three at 7:02 in the fourth before Charleston stretched its lead once again.
The Senators hit the road for three straight contests, beginning Saturday, January 23 at West Virginia State. Tipoff is set for 2:00 PM.
