By Duane Cochran
For Mountain East.org
WHEELING, W.VA. – The University of Charleston’s second-ranked defense in the Mountain East Conference turned in a record-setting performance here Sunday afternoon to help the third-seeded Golden Eagles claim a hard-fought 48-43 victory over top-seeded Glenville State in the league’s annual women’s tournament championship game here at WesBanco Arena.
The win improved UC to 21-10 on the year and earns the Golden Eagles an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Atlantic Regional Tournament which will get under way Friday at a site which will be announced Sunday evening.
Glenville, which fell to 24-6 with Sunday’s loss, is also expected to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Atlantic Regional.
The tournament championship is the first for UC since it won back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022 and it’s the Golden Eagles’ third MEC tourney title overall. UC also became the first-ever three seed to win the tournament.
The Pioneers, who have a record five MEC Tournament championships, lost for the second straight year in the title game.
“You guys just got a really good game,” said a happy UC coach Bubby Johnson. “I know people get upset in Super Bowls and whatnot when it’s low scoring and they don’t get a whole lot of points, but I’m sorry to disappoint. I thought both teams played amazing defense. Everybody had to work for everything.
“I’m really proud of my girls for how hard they fought. They got 60 rebounds against a very good Glenville team so they have every right to be proud of themselves.”
The 60 rebounds were an MEC finals’ game record. The Golden Eagles’ defense also set championship game records for fewest points allowed (43), fewest points allowed in a quarter (7), lowest field goal percentage allowed (21 percent, 13-of-62) and lowest 3-point field goal percentage allowed (9.5 percent, 2-of-21).
Glenville was 0-of-13 on field goals in the fourth and final quarter when it scored just seven points – all of which came at the line.
The Pioneers, who shot 49 percent from the field and 52 percent from three in its semifinal win Saturday over Fairmont State, got some good looks Sunday but not much of anything would fall. The 43 total points were a season low for the Pioneers, who had scored 71 or more points in all but three games this season prior to Sunday.
“Obviously not the day we wanted,” said GSU coach Emily Stoller. “There’s a winner and loser in every championship game and everyone wants to be on the winning side. It just wasn’t our day today.
“It’s not like us to score in the 40’s. Shots just weren’t falling for us. We had opportunities, but pretty much didn’t make anything.
“At the end of the day we lost a basketball game. Props to Charleston. They got the job done and were the better team today. I’m proud of my kids for fighting to the end. Hopefully we’ll be playing more next week in the regional.”
Charleston led by as many as 11 in the first 20 minutes before settling for a seven-point advantage at the break.
In the third quarter GSU gave the Golden Eagles a dose of their own medicine in terms of staunch defense. Glenville held UC to just eight points on 2-of-15 shooting and closed to within two at 38-36 with 10 minutes to play.
“We just focused on keeping our composure,” Charleston’s Ksenija Mitric said. “We knew they were going to make a run because they’re a really good offensive team. They’re going to come after you and try to turn you over and get a quick run, so we just kept saying to one another that we had to play together and keep our composure no matter what happened.
“It’s a four-quarter game no matter what and we knew we had to play all four quarters.”
Despite its struggles offensively, the Pioneers still had numerous chances to win the contest down the stretch and couldn’t cash in on them. Trailing 46-43 GSU’s Nylah Davis got a wide open look at a three with 26 seconds remaining which would have tied the game. The shot, though, was off the mark and UC’s Bridget Womber cleared the rebound – her game-high 16th.
At the other end Charleston’s Mitric, who finished with seven points, seven rebounds and three assists, found a wide open Livia O’dea under the basket on a side inbounds pass and O’dea laid the ball in to give her team a 48-43 lead with 10 seconds to play.
On the Pioneers’ ensuing possession Jayda Allie attempted a three with six seconds to play and it too was off target and rebounded by UC’s Mitric which sealed the victory for her team.
“It was a rough night for us,” said Glenville’s Carine Pinkey, who led her team with 16 points and four steals. “It got a little frustrating for us because we just couldn’t find our shots or get them to fall.
“All in all though I believe we stuck together and had our chances, but we just couldn’t convert on them.”
Pinkey and Nwando Okigbo were the lone players in the game to reach double figures in scoring. Together they accounted for 26 of GSU’s 43 points with Okigbo getting 10 points and a team-high 11 rebounds.
UC had no one in double digits in the scoring column. Jordan Scully led the Golden Eagles with nine points, while tournament MVP Paris Stokes chipped in eight points, five rebounds and three assists.
“Me being MVP is a credit to my teammates,” Stokes said. “They put me in good positions to score or take advantage of mismatches all season.”
The eight-member all-tournament team consisted of Charleston’s Stokes, Scully and Mitric, Glenville’s Okigbo and Wonder Nkoyock, Fairmont State’s Gabby Reep, Frostburg State’s Jenna Muha and West Liberty’s Reagan Vinskovich, the tournament’s scoring average leader (26.5).
The Commissioner’s Heart and Hustle Award went to GSU’s Okigbo.
Tournament Awards
Highest Scoring: Reagan Vinslovich, West Liberty
Commissioner's Heart & Hustle: Nwando Okigbo, Glenville State
All-Tournament Team
Jenna Muha, Frostburg State
Gabby Reep, Fairmont State
Reagan Vinskovich, West Liberty
Nwando Okigbo, Glenville State
Wonder Nkoyock, Glenville State
Jordan Scully, Charleston
Ksenija Mitric, Charleston
MVP - Paris Stokes, Charleston