Box Score CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Jordan Smith scored 23 points to lead Charleston (17-12) to a 74-65 win over Shepherd University (16-13) in quarterfinal action of the MEC Men's Basketball Tournament at the Charleston Civic Center on Friday night.
Smith connected on 8-of-11 field goals with a 1-of-1 effort from three-point range. He was 6-of-6 from the charity stripe.
Senior guard Steffen Davis (Accokeek, Md./Maret School) tied Smith with a game-high 23 points to lead the Rams. He connected on 7-of-9 field goals with a 5-of-7 effort from beyond the arc. He was 4-of-5 from the line.
Senior forward AJ Carr (Fairfax, Va./St. James School) posted his 13th double-double of the season with 15 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Junior forward Winston Burgess (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) was also in double figures with 10 points.
Lamont McManus added 13 points and nine rebounds, while Austin Howard tossed in 11 points for the Golden Eagles.
Shepherd had a 37-33 lead at halftime as Davis (14) and Carr (10) combined for 24 first-half points.
A close game throughout, the contest featured 17 lead changes and 11 ties. Charleston took the lead for good on a layup by McManus at 63-62 with 5:20 left in the game.
Shepherd connected on 40 percent (23-57) from the floor with a 26 percent (9-34) performance from beyond the arc for the game. The Rams hit on 83 percent (10-12) of their free throws.
Charleston shot 49 percent (25-51) from the floor with a 44 percent effort (7-16) from three-point range. The Golden Eagles shot 81 percent (17-21) from the charity stripe.
Charleston had a 36-26 edge in rebounding. The Rams forced seven turnovers and committed eight.
The Golden Eagles advance to face top-seeded West Liberty in semifinal action of the MEC Tournament at 6 p.m. on Saturday at the Charleston Civic Center.
Notes: Davis ended his career with 1,601 points … Davis' 23-point effort was a season high … Davis finished his career as Shepherd all-time leader in three-pointers with 335 … Carr ended his career with 1,519 points.
Shepherd Postgame Press Conference
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