Men's Basketball | 12/11/2019 9:54:00 PM

Box Score     CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The No. 22-ranked West Liberty men's basketball team went cold in the second half and Charleston came from behind late in the second half to pull off an 83-73 upset win Wednesday night at the Wehrle Center.
    Coach Ben Howlett's Hilltoppers (6-3, 3-2) shot just 37 percent (12-of-32) from the floor and made just two 3-pointers in the second half as the Golden Eagles (7-2, 3-2) defeated the Black and Gold for just the fifth time in the last 27 meetings.
    There were a total of 19 lead changes in the see-saw affair with neither team leading by more than 5 points until the waning minutes.
    West Liberty opened up a 5-point advantage on multiple occasions in the early part of the second half but the Hilltoppers' shooting woes ultimately came home to roost.
    Will Yoakum gave WLU its final lead of the night, 61-59, on a driving layup with 6:50 to go but UC's Keith Williams put the hosts ahead to stay, 62-61, with a 3-pointer at the 6:24 mark and the Black and Gold never got over the hump again.
    A turnover and three empty possessions allowed Charleston to go up, 67-61, with under four minutes to play. A 3-point play by Yoakum cut it to 73-71 with 1:18 remaining but Williams dropped in a dagger of a 3-pointer from the corner with just 52 seconds to go and West Liberty had run out of time.
    Yoakum kept the Hilltoppers in the hunt over the final 20 minutes, scoring 15 of his team-high 22 points after intermission. Pat Robinson III added 16 points off the bench but foul trouble limited starters Dalton Bolon and Marlon Moore Jr. to just seven minutes of action in the first half.
    Coming into the game averaging a combined 31 points and 13 rebounds a game, Moore and Bolon were held to a total of just 13 points and 3 rebounds on the night.
    Williams was the key to victory for Charleston. A 6-3 sophomore guard who came into the contest averaging just 5.9 ppg., he poured in 19 of his career-high 27 points in the second half to fuel the upset while also setting career-highs with 6 3-pointers and a game-high 9 rebounds.
    Seth O'Neal backed Williams with 20 points while Lamont McManus and Drew Rackley added 14 and 12 points, respectively.
    The West Liberty men face another tough Mountain East Conference test on Saturday when they host West Virginia State in a 7:30 p.m. tipoff at the ASRC.