Box Score Forget about shooting, passing and rebounding.

Saturday this year's WVSU men's basketball team showed once again that its main strength may well be its resilience, its ability to bounce back, its spirit.

For the third time this season the Yellow Jackets followed a heartbreaking loss with a win, this time with just over 17 hours to recover.

After falling 81-78 to Salem International in the closing seconds in a 7 p.m. Friday contest WVSU was back on the floor in Salem at 2 p.m. Saturday to play Bluefield State on the second day of the Joe Manchin Classic.

Just as they had done twice before the Yellow Jackets put heartbreak behind them and pulled away down the stretch to win 82-72.

"Today's game was a challenge of will," WVSU Head Coach Bryan Poore said. "After playing last night at 7 turning around and playing at 2 is tough."

Brent Bauer and Ernest Jenkins each finished with 19 points, Jayson Hankins added 17 and pulled down 10 rebounds, and both DeQuan Doyle and Mohammed Camara had 10 points for the Jackets.

"When we put five guys in double-figures in scoring we have great balance," Poore said.

The teams were tied at halftime and the Yellow Jackets led by just one with 6:57 to play. They made sure that the game would not be decided in the final seconds this time though as they took off on a 14-2 run from that point, started by a Bauer 3-pointer, to seal the outcome.

WVSU held Bluefield State to 33 percent shooting from the floor the final 6:57.

"I was happy with our intensity on defense," Poore said, "which has to become constant."

The Yellow Jackets travel to Davis & Elkins Friday and then return home for a contest at noon on Monday, December 19, against Washington Adventis.