INSTITUTE, W.Va. – The West Virginia State University women's basketball team staved off a second half comeback to emerge victorious against Davis & Elkins, 103-101, at the Walker Convocation Center on Wednesday night. Six Yellow Jackets scored in double digits in the high-scoring Mountain East Conference (MEC) clash.

West Virginia State (5-8, 3-4 MEC) moves up to seventh place in the league standings with the win. The top ten teams in the conference qualify for the MEC Championship Tournament in early March.  Davis & Elkins (2-10, 2-5 MEC) drops into tenth place after the loss.

Sophomore guard Payton Shears led the Yellow Jackets in scoring with 19 points. She shot 5-of-5 from the field, 4-of-4 from three-point range, and 5-of-6 from the foul line in the winning effort. Freshman guard Milla Spann made six shots from behind the arc, tying her season-high, to total 18 points in the contest. Chloe Cheresne and Destiny Fields posted 15 and 14 points, respectively, to round out West Virginia State's top scorers.

The first quarter ended 28-26 in favor the Yellow Jackets. Milla Spann was matched by D&E's Eadsforth-Yates in three-point shooting. Each player made 3-of-4 three-point field goals to keep the game close.

WVSU took control of the contest in the second quarter as the Yellow Jackets outscored the Senators, 37-15. West Virginia State shot 80 percent from the field, 83 percent from downtown, and 80 percent from the free-throw line in the second period to go into halftime up by 24 points, 65-41.

The Senators were led by Jamiyah Johnson in a third quarter reversal that cut West Virginia State's advantage to single digits, 85-76. She recorded 16 points and 10 rebounds in the third period alone.

The Yellow Jackets responded by shutting down Johnson in the fourth quarter, allowing only four points and two boards from the game's top performer. Both Hannah Shriver and Alexis Hall came up with huge steals and ensuing buckets in the final moments of the game to give WVSU the edge in the end.

The strong second quarter performance put together by West Virginia State, along with the trio of clutch steals and proceeding shots made by Shriver and Hall in clutch moments, made the difference in the two-point margin of victory.

The Yellow Jackets head to West Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday, Jan. 11 to resume league-play. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.