WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Virginia State University men's basketball team fell to No. 22 West Liberty on the road, 112-84, when the Mountain East Conference (MEC) opponents met on Saturday night.

West Virginia State drops to 6-3 overall, 3-3 in the MEC with the defeat. Meanwhile, West Liberty jumps to 7-3 on the season, 4-2 in league play with the victory.

Junior Glen Abram and senior Frank Agyemang each had a team-high 16 points in the contest. Junior forward Jeremiah Moore was next up with 14 points and six rebounds.

The Yellow Jackets hung with the nationally-ranked Hilltoppers for the opening 13 minutes of the first half. With 7:12 remaining until halftime, the game was tied up at 27 apiece.
In the next minute, West Liberty embarked on a 24-6 run that ended with a buzzer-beating layup. The last-second bucket gave WLU an 18-point advantage, 51-33, going into the break.  

West Virginia State opened the second half with a 14-5 run. At the end of the stretch, WVSU was still down by nine points, 56-47, with 15:19 remaining in the contest.

The Hilltoppers nullified the Yellow Jackets' progress in the next five minutes by increasing their lead to 18 points once again, 78-60. In the final ten minutes of the game, West Liberty expounded on its lead until there was nothing left for West Virginia State to contend for.

West Virginia State returns home for a non-conference contest against Kentucky Christian on Tuesday, Dec. 17. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.