Box Score CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Junior forward AJ Carr (Fairfax, Va./St. James School) scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Shepherd University (16-9, 13-6 MEC) to a 75-74 win over University of Charleston (14-11, 8-11 MEC) in MEC men's basketball action at Charleston on Thursday.

Carr hit on 10-of-21 field goals with a 1-of-3 effort from three-point range. He was 3-of-3 from the foul line. Carr added three assists and a pair of steals.

Junior guard Skyler Roman (Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg) added 15 points, while senior guard Niam Muhammad (Waldorf, Md./North Point) and sophomore forward Winston Burgess (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) each added 14. Muhammad added three assists and a game-high four steals.

Keir Anderson led the Golden Eagles with 21 points. Justin Coleman added 17 points and 15 rebounds, while Justin Smith scored 11 points

Shepherd used a 17-7 run to take a 17-point lead at 40-23 following a layup by Carr with 4:39 left the first half. Charleston responded with a 15-6 run to close the half and cut the lead to 46-38 at the break.

The Rams led by as many as 16 points in the second half, but the Golden Eagles rallied late with a 16-4 run to get to within a point at 75-74 after a layup by Anderson with 1:52 left.

Charleston had possession with 15 seconds remaining as layup attempt by Coleman was blocked out of bounds by Carr with five seconds left. A last-second shot by Shaq Speights was off the mark.

Shepherd connected on 45.3 percent (29-64) from the floor with a 30 percent (6-20) performance from beyond the arc for the game. The Rams hit on 84.6 percent (11-13) of their free throws.

Charleston shot 48 percent (24-50) from the floor with a 38.9 percent effort (7-18) from three-point range. The Golden Eagles shot 86.4 percent (19-22) from the charity stripe.

Charleston had a 34-21 advantage in rebounding. The Rams forced 16 turnovers and committed just six.

The Rams return to action on Saturday when they travel to West Virginia State for a 4 p.m. game.