CHARLESTON – In Glenville's first game as "Glenville State University," the nation's top ranked Lady Pioneers remained unbeaten, fighting off a determined University of Charleston squad on the road, 74-63. The game was not secured until the final minutes.

Zakiyah Winfield led the Lady Pioneers, pouring in 26 points, including several key shots in a nail-biting second half. Winfield was a solid 10-of-15 from the floor. She was complemented by Dazha Congleton with 16, and Taychaun Hubbard 13. Mashayla Cecil hit three first half threes to record nine points. Hubbard recorded a team-high six rebounds.

Charleston opened fast, hitting three quick threes to post a 16-4 lead five minutes in. Glenville bounced back, cutting the deficit to 18-14 by the end of the first quarter. A Cecil three gave GSU their first lead at 25-22 with 7:43 left in the first half. By intermission, Glenville had extended the lead to 39-33. Charleston produced a strong third quarter to draw the game back even, with the two teams trading punches in the final minutes of the stanza. Going into the fourth quarter, GSU was up 56-55.

At the 6:08 mark of the final quarter, the game was still tight, with Glenville up 62-61. The Lady Pioneer defense stepped up at the point, producing a 12-0 run over the next five minutes to seal the win. Charleston would tally a final basket to close the scoring, their only points of the final six minutes.

In team stats, the two teams were almost dead even. GSU had a narrow edge in field goal percentage (43.1% to 42.3%), and each team hit nine three-pointers. Glenville held a 37-32 advantage in team rebounding, but a decided plus in offensive rebounding 15-8.

Markiya McCormick led Charleston with 19 points, followed by Dakota Reeves with 12.

Glenville improved to a perfect 26-0, 21-0 in the Mountain Ease Conference. Charleston falls to 17-8 overall, 15-6 in the MEC.

GSU returns home on Saturday, hosting Concord on Senior Day. Tip-off is set for 2:00 on the Waco Center's McPherson Court.