CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Senior forward Morgan McDonald (Inwood, W.Va./Musselman) and senior guard Austin Cunningham (Vincent, Ohio/Warren Local/Ohio Valley) each poured in 17 points to lead Shepherd University to a 77-72 win over University of Charleston in MEC men's basketball action at Charleston on Saturday.

McDonald hit on 6-of-11 field goals with a 3-of-4 effort from three-point range. He was 2-of-2 from the foul line. McDonald also grabbed a team-high seven boards.  Cunningham connected on 6-of-10 shots from the floor with an 0-1 effort from beyond the arc. He sunk 5-of-5 free throws.

Freshman guard Skyler Roman Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg) and junior forward Ryan McTavish (Mt. Airy, Md./South Carroll/Presbyterian) each added 10 points for the Rams. Roman also handed out a team-high five assists.

Aleksander Kesic and Chris Evans each had 18 points to lead Charleston.

Shepherd rallied in the second half to tie the game at 63-63 after a layup by Roman with 2:41 remaining.

A close game throughout, neither team led by more than eight points.  Shepherd took the lead for good at 65-63 on a three-pointer by McDonald with 5:32 left in the game.

Charleston rallied to within a point at 73-72 on a three-pointer by Kesic with 29 seconds left,  but Shepherd hit 4-of-6 free throws down the stretch to gain the win.

Shepherd hit on 27-of-55 field goals (49.1 percent) with a 7-of-18 (38.9 percent) effort from three-point range. The Rams hit on 16-of-22 free throws (72.7 percent).

Charleston connected on 24-of-64 field goals (37.5 percent) with a 7-of-24 effort from beyond the arc (29.2 percent). The Golden Eagles were 17-of-22 from the foul line (77.3  percent).

UC had a 40-33 edge in rebounding. The Rams forced 12 turnovers and committed nine.

Shepherd improves to 5-2, 2-2 in MEC play, while Charleston falls to 4-3, 2-2. The Rams return to action on Saturday when they travel to Gannon for a 3 p.m. contest.