Golden Eagles Feel Comfortable and it Shows
March 12, 2005

By Joel Hammond
Anderson Independent-Mail

For a team unfamiliar with the Abney Center, Charleston (W. Va.) certainly seemed to take a liking to their surroundings in Friday’s NCAA Division II East Region opener.

The third-seeded Golden Eagles shot 40 percent from 3-point range (8-20) and pulled away in the second half of a 79-57 victory over sixth-seeded Clarion (Pa.). Charleston will face California (Pa.) in tonight’s semifinal at 6 p.m.

Charleston was in line to host the region tournament before losing to fifth-seeded Glenville State last week in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference semifinals and falling to the No. 3 seed for the tournament.

"I thought we really like the gym; I think it’s a great place for us to play because it reminds us a lot of being at home," Charleston coach Sherry Winn said. "I felt really comfortable the first time I walked in and saw it — I was excited.

"Our players learned a lesson from (last week’s loss to) Glenville State and came out with the attitude that we have to have the ball, we have to have team offense, and we have to have a lot people involved."

Clarion played much of the final 30 minutes of the game without 6-foot-1 center and leading scorer Heather Cigich. Cigich went down with an ankle injury at the 9:45 mark of the first half. Clarion guard Melba Melton also missed an extended period after she landed hard after a layup attempt.

Cigich played just 11 minutes for Clarion, which was led by Amelia Harris’ 19 points, only six of which came in the second half.
Clarion had cut Charleston’s lead to a second-half low 46-39 with just under 13 minutes to play, but a 12-0 run midway through the second half helped Charleston widen its lead to 19.

Charleston placed three players in double figures: Courtney Thomas with 20, Lisa Lee with 19 and Laura Kinsler with 15.

"In warmups, our guards were shooting really well," said Lee, who also grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds. "Anytime our guards are shooting really well, everyone gets excited."

NOTES

Clarion was making its first appearance in NCAA tournament since 1995, while Charleston was previously winless in the tournament – Charleston lost to eventual national champion California (Pa.) in the first round last year. Charleston had beaten Clarion 89-54 in the teams’ only other meeting in November.