FAIRMONT, W.Va. – The West Virginia State University men's basketball team was edged by Fairmont State, 79-77, on Wednesday night at the Joe Retton Arena. The Falcons needed a buzzer-beating shot to defeat the Yellow Jackets for only the fifth time this season.

West Virginia State drops to 13-5 overall, 8-5 in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) with the loss. Meanwhile, Fairmont State jumps to 14-4 on the season, 9-4 in the MEC with the win.

Junior forward Jeremiah Moore went off again with a game-high 25 points and a career-high 15 rebounds for a double-double. Fellow junior Glen Abram reached double-digits in scoring with 14 points. He also accounted for three steals and two blocks. Senior guard Michal Seals put together a complete performance with nine points, eight boards, seven assists, and four steals.

Both teams entered this contest with identical records and the first half proved how evenly they were matched. Fairmont State jumped out to a 12-5 lead in the opening five minutes of the game. West Virginia State then evened the score, 18-18, with a 13-6 run in the following six minutes. Dunks by Jeremiah Moore and James Hagins, along with a three-pointer by Michal Seals, fueled the surge.

The rest of the first half was an even run, 21-21. Treohn Watkins, Glen Abram, and John Dawson each made a single three-pointer to ensure that the score was deadlocked at 39-apiece going into halftime.

The Yellow Jackets seized their largest lead of the game, 63-54, around the twelve-minute mark of the second half. Back-to-back three-pointers from Glen Abram and Frank Agyemang were the reason for the nine-point advantage.

A 15-5 run in the following seven minutes by the Falcons put them in front by one point, 69-68. Five minutes remained to decide which team would move into third place in the league standings.

Scoring by either side was seldom in the last five minutes. Jeremiah Moore's layup capped a 9-5 run in favor of WVSU that put the Yellow Jackets ahead by three points, 77-74, with one minute left to play.

Shortly thereafter, Fairmont State's Dale Bonner hit a jumper to get back within one point of West Virginia State, 77-76.

Missed shots and a couple of costly turnovers by WVSU in the final 30 seconds of the game allowed FSU the opportunity to attempt a game-winning shot. Cole VonHandorf of the Falcons took advantage of the opportunity by draining a three-point shot for the win.

The Yellow Jackets forced 19 turnovers and came up with 13 steals against the Falcons. On the other hand, Fairmont State caused merely nine turnovers and came up with a single steal as a team. Unfortunately, the Falcons affected two of their nine turnovers when it mattered most.

West Virginia State hits the highway again for their next game on Saturday, Feb. 1 at Frostburg State. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.