Jackets Win Fourth in Row, Defeat Golden Eagles in Thriller - West Virginia State University Athletics

West Virginia State University Athletics

    It may have been the Yellow Jackets hosting the Golden Eagles but the game they were playing was definitely cat and mouse.

     A game won in the end by WVSU by a final score of 83-82 in front of a boisterous near capacity crowd at the Walker Convocation Center.

    "I'm really proud of our guys," Yellow Jacket Head Coach Bryan Poore said. "It was a typical State - UC game, not always the prettiest but always close and comes down to the last few possessions."

     It was the fourth straight win for WVSU, moving the Jackets to a 10-7 overall record and 8-4 Mountain East Conference mark.

    Charleston did hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer but it was meaningless as Langston Cooke and Robert Fomby previously sank pressure-filled free throws after Cooke's driving layup with 52 seconds to play gave the Jackets a 79-77 lead.

     "We were able to get some big big rebounds and make some clutch free throws to seal the win," Poore said.

      WVSU was 11-of-13 from the charity stripe on the day.

     The back-and-forth tone of the contest was set from the start as Glen Abram hit a 3-point on the first possession of the game only to see the Golden Eagles match it seconds later.

     The statistics all reflect that type of game as fans for both teams rarely got to stay in their seats for very long.

     There would be 10 lead changes and 11 ties in the game. WVSU did hold the lead for just over 57 percent of the day with the Jackets' largest advantage 22-12 midway through the first half but the visitors tok off on a 16-6 run to tied the score.

     Charleston's biggest lead was by six early in the second half but the Yellow Jackets responded right away with a 9-2 spurt to retake the lead at 55-53 on a layup by Isaiah Noel.

      The Yellow Jackets lost the rebounding battle and were outscored in the paint because of it. But they forced more turnovers and held a 23-6 edge in points off of those turnovers.

      Both squads hit 31 field goals while the visitors hit one more free throw, 12-11, but two less 3-pointers 10-8.

      WVSU continued to show the balanced scoring they have in recent games with Abram ending up with 16 points, Jahlen Greene 15, Fomby 13, Noel 12, and Pat Johnson-Agwu 10. Cooke had eight points.

      WVSU travels to Cleveland to take on Notre Dame Wednesday before returning home for another Saturday afternoon contest when the Jackets face Urbana at 4:00 p.m.

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