INSTITUTE, W.Va. – The West Virginia State University men's basketball team won its sixth consecutive game by defeating Urbana, 95-86, on Saturday afternoon at the Walker Convocation Center. After going down by 14 points early in the first half, the Yellow Jackets showed their resiliency once again by coming back and then maintaining the lead for the final 24 minutes of the contest.

West Virginia State (12-3, 7-3 MEC) moves squarely into third place in the Mountain East Conference standings with the victory. On the other hand, Urbana (4-12, 3-7 MEC) drops into eleventh place in the league standings following the defeat.

Freshman forward Anthony Pittman was a force to be reckoned with in the game as he posted a game-high 28 points along with six rebounds. Senior guard Michal Seals provided support with 14 points of his own. He also added four assists and three defensive rebounds to his season totals. Junior forward Jeremiah Moore was one rebound away from a double-double. He recorded 10 points and nine boards while accounting for three steals.

The Blue Knights played with a chip on their shoulders in the opening six minutes of the contest and grabbed a 20-6 lead early on. The comeback by the Yellow Jackets didn't take long as they responded with a 16-2 run in the next four minutes of action. Michal Seals started the run by drilling a shot from behind the arc. Treohn Watkins added two of his signature three-pointers from way beyond the arc during the stretch to get West Virginia State back on track.

The final ten minutes of the first half was played much more evenly. The Yellow Jackets embarked on a 13-4 run to close out the opening period and create some distance between them and their opponents. Watkins grabbed a defensive board and threw a bullet down the court to Glen Abram who in turn slammed a dunk to finish off the first half. WVSU subsequently went into the break with a nine-point advantage, 48-39.

West Virginia State put together a much more controlled performance in the second half. With six minutes remaining in the second period, the Yellow Jackets unassumingly gained their largest lead of the game. They were up by 17 points, 82-65, after matching shots with Urbana and finding the extra bucket here and there.

The Blue Knights went on a 19-7 run in the last five minutes to get back within five points of WVSU, 89-84. By the time that run came to an end, there was less than a minute left on the clock. The Yellow Jackets made all six of their free-throws in the final minute to close out the game.

There wasn't much to separate the two sides when it came to the score sheet. West Virginia State shot 45 percent from three-point range, compared to 30 percent by Urbana.

The Yellow Jackets remain at home for their next game against Glenville State (9-7, 6-4 MEC) on Wednesday, Jan. 22. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.