INSTITUTE, W.Va. – The West Virginia State University women's basketball team wrapped up 2019 with a victory against Salem, 107-90, on Friday afternoon at the Walker Convocation Center. Both teams played in the 'five-in, five-out' substitution style meant to rest players on the bench while the players on the court apply a full-court press. The Yellow Jackets showed that they were better at it by having their best performance in the fourth quarter.

"This was a strong way to end the year," said Head Coach Charles Marshall in his postgame remarks. "I'm really proud of the effort that my players gave today."

The Yellow Jackets improve to 4-7 overall and remain at 2-4 in the Mountain East Conference following the non-conference win. Meanwhile, the Tigers fall to 2-10 on the season with the defeat.

Sophomore Charity Shears hit seven shots from beyond the arc on her way to a game-high 29 points. Freshman Alexis Hall was not far behind with a season-high 24 points. She shot 10-of-14 from the field and added seven rebounds to her season totals. In her usual 'give-everything-she's-got' style, sophomore Sierra Womack recorded 10 points, nine rebounds, three steals, and three assists.

Salem jumped out to a 10-point lead, 19-9, in the opening five minutes of the contest. West Virginia State then went on a 14-5 run to close out the first period. Payton Shears finished off the stretch with a three-pointer to get the Yellow Jackets back to within one point of the Tigers, 24-23.

The second quarter was extremely tight throughout. With 3:47 remaining in the first half, the score was deadlocked at 42-all. WVSU edged out Salem, 12-8, in the closing three-and-a-half minutes to create a slight advantage going into halftime. A last-second layup by the Tigers cut their deficit to six points, 54-48, at the break.

The third quarter was a seesaw affair with back-and-forth swings in momentum. With 2:37 left in the third period, Charity Shears drained a shot from three-point range to put the Yellow Jackets up by 11 points, 72-61. Salem was able to get back within single digits, 75-66, by the end of the period.

The fourth quarter was when West Virginia State really took over the game. Charity Shears was a big reason why the Yellow Jackets went up by 19 points, 107-88, in the final minute. She made three shots from three-point range, converted both of her free-throw attempts, and banked a layup to account for 13 points in the fourth period.

Discipline played a huge factor in the game's result. Salem only had nine shots from the charity stripe all afternoon and made four of them (44 percent). On the other hand, West Virginia State made 17-of-21 free throws (81 percent) to make the Tigers pay for their mistakes.

The Yellow Jackets will come back to Institute after the holiday break to play Elizabeth City State on Saturday, Jan. 4. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.

WE WISH YOU A BLESSED HOLIDAY WITH YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS!