Recap

Wesleyan and Charleston opened the Quarterfinal round of the Mountain East Conference Basketball Tournament on Friday afternoon in Wheeling. Charleston won a defensive battle 71-59, however the final score is not indicative of the intensity of the game during both halves. The Golden Eagles made a 10-3 run to close out the first half, after the score was tied with two minutes to play before the break. Scoring opened up more in the second half, and Wesleyan made a late push to pull the game back to six points just under the four minute mark. Luka Petrovic and Daylin Lee lead the offense all day, as Luka was a threat on the drive, and Daylin was dialed in from behind the arc in that under-five run. In the end, it was Charleston's rebounding that gave them the ultimate advantage, as they ended up with +12 margin. Of their 44 total rebounds, 12 came on the offensive end, which allowed them to eventually capitalize and score on possessions where they missed their initial first and second shots. Devon Robinson was an impossible cover for the Bobcats, as he pulled down 12 rebounds himself, and was an efficient 8-12 from the floor to total 24 points. A majority of those 24 points came in the paint, as Coach Nick Patella had no defense for him once Dusan Vicentic got into foul trouble. 

The main highlight of the Tournament this season was Daylin Lee. The sophomore from Toronto elevated himself from x-factor to leader, and was often unguardable on the offensive end with the ball in his hands. His dual-threat game of pull-up three-point shooting, and getting to the rim on the drive, should get Coach Patella excited about his prospects for the next two seasons. Another highlight also spanned the week before as well, but Jaylin Reed has asserted himself as a piece of the future for the Bobcats over the next three years.

The careers of Dusan Vicentic, Luka Petrovic, Clay Todd, and Marcus Larsson came to a close on Friday afternoon. Vicentic and Petrovic will go down as one of the best European combos in Division II basketball in recent memory, and should be considered two of the best to wear the Bobcats uniform since 2000. Clay Todd and Marcus Larsson made just as strong of an impact in the Wesleyan community as they did on the basketball court, and Coach Patella is going to miss their high basketball IQ's and outside shooting. 

Impact Performers - West Virginia Wesleyan

Daylin Lee - 18 pts, 5 reb, 6-10 fg
Luka Petrovic - 18 pts, 4 ast, 4 stl

Impact Performers - Charleston

Devon Robinson - 24 pts, 12 reb, 8-12 fg
Seth O'Neal - 15 pts, 7 ast, 5 reb

Key Statistics

Total Rebounds
UC 44-32 WVWC

Field Goal Percentage
UC 48.1% - 37.7%

Score Tied By
WVWC 5-5 UC

What's Next

This result ends the 2019-20 season for the Bobcats. They finish 12-18 overall, and they finished seventh in the MEC at 10-12.
Charleston moves onto the Semifinals of the MEC Tournament, where they will take on the winner of Fairmont State/Glenville State on Saturday.