INSTITUTE, W.Va. – The West Virginia State University men's basketball team was narrowly defeated by Fairmont State, 94-89, on Saturday afternoon at the Walker Convocation Center. The Yellow Jackets went up by 20 points early in the second half before the Falcons began chipping away at the lead and finally claimed it for themselves in the last two minutes.
West Virginia State drops to 5-2 overall, 2-2 in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) with the defeat. Meanwhile, Fairmont State jumps to 6-1 on the season, 3-1 in the MEC with the victory.
Freshman forward
Anthony Pittman maintained his double-double average for the season by posting a game-high 11 rebounds and a team-high 19 points. He also recorded three blocks in the game. Nearing a double-double was senior guard
Frank Agyemang with 16 points and eight boards. Leading from the point was senior guard
Michal Seals with six assists and 11 points.
Both teams entered the contest with identical records and the first half reflected that. There was little to no separation between the two sides until the final three minutes of the half.
With 3:28 left in the opening period, Pittman knocked down a three-pointer to jump start a 13-2 run by the Yellow Jackets.
Glen Abram finished off the run by drawing a foul and converting both of his free throw attempts. West Virginia State went into halftime up by 10 points, 52-42.
The Yellow Jackets began the second half by going on an 18-8 run that granted them their largest lead of the game, 70-50, with 15:41 remaining in the contest.
In the ensuing 13 minutes, West Virginia State shot 4-of-17 from the field and 0-of-8 from behind the arc to allow Fairmont State to get back in the game.
With about two minutes left to play, the Falcons made the basket that put them ahead, 86-85. After sloppy transitions on both ends, Fairmont State was sent to the charity stripe four times in the final minute. The Falcons made all of their free throw attempts to complete their comeback.
West Virginia State outrebounded Fairmont State, 41-30. The Yellow Jackets were particularly good at grabbing their own boards with 20 offensive rebounds as a team.
West Virginia State will play Wheeling at the Walker Center on Wednesday, Dec. 11 for its next game. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
