CHARLESTON, W.Va. - - UVa-Wise faced a tough matchup against the University of Charleston on Wednesday night with the Golden Eagles walking away victorious earning a 73-63 win over the Cavaliers.

UVa-Wise (13-14, 11-10 MEC) struggled from the floor in the first half shooting just 25 percent from the field, connecting on just eight shots. The Cavs went 4-for-14 (28.6 percent) from beyond the arc and missed just one shot from the line (5-for-6) in the opening half.

The Cavs would take a 2-0 lead on a layup by redshirt senior Taiwo Badmus to start the game but had trouble connecting on shots following the initial bucket. With 11:41 on the clock, the Golden Eagles took a 19-9 lead behind an old-fashioned three-point play by Charleston's Lamont McManus.

Charleston would hold a double-digit lead for much of the first half before free throw shots by senior DeMarcus Edwards put the Cavs within eight, 28-20, with just under three minutes to play in the first half.

The Golden Eagles would regain a double-digit advantage before a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Chance Sheffey put the score at 34-25 heading into halftime.

Charleston dominated inside the paint in the opening half, collecting 26 points compared to just eight for the Cavaliers. The Golden Eagles went 15-for-31 (48.4 percent) from the field to start, hitting just 2-of-8 (25 percent) shots from downtown.

The Golden Eagles would open up the second half picking up where they left off, taking an 18-point lead with 16:47 to play. Charleston would take their largest lead of the night, 63-41, behind free throw shots from Ke'Andre Gibson with 7:41 to play.

UVa-Wise would attempt to rally and cut the deficit to single digits assisted by a jumper by Sheffey, putting the Cavs down 65-56 with 3:45 to go.

Charleston would extend their lead once again, but a shot by sophomore forward Yesid Mosquera-Perea with 1:42 on the clock would put the Cavs down just nine points again, 67-58.

The Cavs would not be able to complete the comeback as the Golden Eagles earned a 73-63 victory.

Both teams posted 14 points in the paint in the second half with Charleston adding eight points off turnovers while the Cavs had eight second chance points in the half. The Golden Eagles remained pretty consistent from the field shooting just under 48 percent in the second half while the Cavs shot 41.2 percent from the floor.

UVa-Wise finished shooting 33.3 percent from the floor, hitting just 10-of-32 (31.3 percent) shots from downtown and knocking down 9-of-13 (69.2 percent) free throws. The Cavs were led in scoring by Badmus who had 17 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore point guard Michal Seals recorded 16 points, four rebounds, five assists, and four steals while Sheffey netted 14 points in the loss.

McManus was the leading scorer for the Golden Eagles with 21 points while Kier Anderson had 15 points for Charleston.

UVa-Wise will look to gain an important win against Concord University on Saturday with tip-off scheduled for 4 p.m. in the team's final regular season game.