BUCKHANNON — West Virginia Wesleyan’s women could not hold off an accumulation of late-game penalties that seemed to siphon the air right out of the team and the Lady Bobcats fell to the University of Charleston 61-50, Wednesday in the Rockefeller Center.
Though the lead changed only three times throughout the game, and the point spread was as much as seven (by UC) in the first half, the teams were well-matched which was evidenced by the 23-23 halftime score.
In the second half, Wesleyan went up by six at the 7:24 mark of the third quarter but the Golden Eagles clawed back into it to enter the fourth up by four.
Then in the final quarter, a controversial charging call against Emma Witt at 7:04 combined with one official suddenly turning to the Lady Bobcat fans and throwing more than a dozen students out of the gymnasium, seemed to deflate any efforts of a comeback.
Wesleyan’s leading scorer, Witt, led all players in points with 21, shooting 10-of-18 from the field and grabbing nine rebounds. Sydney Baird’s 7-of-14 effort included 4-of-8 from beyond the three for 19 total points.
Charleston was led by Clarrissa Francis who shot 8-of-13 for 19 points and Taylor Austin who added 10 points on a 4-of-7 effort.
Wesleyan travels to West Virginia State University Saturday, Feb. 24 for a 2 p.m. tipoff with the Yellow Jackets.
