INSTITUTE, W.Va. – The West Virginia State University men's basketball team defeated Elizabeth City State, 90-88, on Friday night before going on to defeat Livingstone, 99-93, on Saturday afternoon. The non-conference contests against Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) opponents were part of the annual Earl Lloyd Classic hosted by West Virginia State. Junior guard Glen Abram led all players in scoring in both games with 61 total points.

The all-time leader in career points (2,698) and career rebounds (2,089) in program history, Dave Hamilton, had his No. 24 jersey retired on Saturday in honor of his remarkable achievements as a Yellow Jacket from 1966 through 1969. He was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers upon graduation and spent eight years playing for the Eastern League Basketball Organization. After his playing career ended, Hamilton became involved in various youth development programs. He currently resides in Philadelphia with his family.

Game 1 (West Virginia St. vs. Elizabeth City St.)
The Yellow Jackets came out on top, 90-88, against Elizabeth City State after overcoming a sluggish start on Friday night at the Walker Convocation Center. West Virginia State's season opener was a tight-knit contest that came down to the wire.

Junior guard Glen Abram was the difference-maker for the Yellow Jackets. He posted a game-high 34 points and drained six shots from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, redshirt freshman forward Anthony Pittman registered a double-double with 15 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. His stat line also included three blocks and two steals. Rounding out the scoring leaders for West Virginia State was junior forward Jeremiah Moore with 11 points. He nearly recorded a double-double by grabbing eight boards. Moore was the game's leading blocker with five.

Elizabeth City State jumped out to a 15-2 lead in the beginning of the first half. The Yellow Jackets were down, but not out, as they fought back to close that gap for the remainder of the first period.
Down 36-31 with 2:30 left in the opening half, Jeremiah Moore hit a jumper (36-33). Following a series of turnovers and missed shots, Abram finally tied up the game, 36-36, by nailing a three-pointer with one minute showing on the scoreboard. Both teams traded baskets in the final minute to make the score 38-38 going into halftime.

The second half marked the start of an entirely new game, so to speak, with the score deadlocked. At the start of the second period, the Vikings held the lead. However, the Yellow Jackets kept the lead from getting out of hand like they did in the first period.

Eventually, the momentum shifted when Abram erupted for 14 points in a two-and-a-half-minute window. His individual scoring run was book-ended by a couple of treys from freshman guard Treohn Watkins. Finally, an emphatic dunk by senior guard Isaiah Noel put West Virginia State ahead 80-74 with four minutes remaining in the contest.

The game ended up tied at 82-82 with just over two minutes left in the final period. ECSU decided to chuck up six three-pointers and send WVSU to the free throw line five times in the last two minutes. The Yellow Jackets made the Vikings pay for their brashness by converting 8-of-10 free throw attempts. Additionally, West Virginia State defended the perimeter well by only allowing two three-point attempts to be knocked down in crunch time.

Accuracy from downtown as well as from the free throw line made the difference for West Virginia State. The Yellow Jackets were successful on 50 percent of their three-point shots as opposed to a 34.8 percent success rate by the Vikings. From the foul line, West Virginia State converted 70.4 percent of its free throws compared to 54.5 percent by Elizabeth City State.

Game 2 (West Virginia St. vs. Livingstone)
The Yellow Jackets prevailed once again on Saturday afternoon with a 99-93 victory over Livingstone at the Walker Convocation Center. West Virginia State led by as much as 16 points in the contest.

Junior guard Glen Abram led all players in the game with 27 points. He shot 7-of-12 from the field, 3-of-6 from downtown, and 10-of-12 from the foul line. Freshman guard Treohn Watkins showcased his sharpshooting skills from beyond the arc by knocking down five three-pointers for a total of 15 points. On the boards, junior forward Jeremiah Moore proved his tenacity on both ends with three offensive rebounds and four defensive rebounds for a team-high seven total rebounds. He also posted 11 points for the second consecutive game.

The first half was evenly contested up until the midway point. The Blue Bears took their largest lead of the game with 8:49 remaining in the first period when they went up by nine points, 31-22.

Then, the Yellow Jackets responded by wetting three-point shots. Sophomore guard John Dawson hit the first one and then dished out three assists to Watkins, who proceeded to hit three-in-a-row. At the end of the shower of threes, West Virginia State was slightly in front, 36-35.

The last five minutes of the first half was back-and-forth until the very end when Watkins decided to hit two more three-pointers and put his team further in the lead, 48-43, going into the break.

The second half saw West Virginia State claim its largest lead of the game when the Yellow Jackets went up by 16 points after approximately five minutes of action. Abram accounted for nine points, while Pittman accounted for seven points in the 19-8 run to start the second period.

The Yellow Jackets sustained their sizable advantage over the Blue Bears up until the last two minutes of the contest. West Virginia State was leading by 14 points, 99-85, with 1:51 left in the game. The Blue Bears converted all of their shots from the charity stripe and made a couple of easy buckets in the final moments of the contest to make it seem like a closer affair than it was in reality.

The Yellow Jackets created 26 points off turnovers and collected 40 points off the bench in their second win of the 2019-20 season.

West Virginia State will travel to Bluefield State on Tuesday, Nov. 19 for their next game. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.