ATHENS, W.Va. -- The West Virginia State men's basketball team traveled to Concord on Sunday afternoon and claimed its first victory of the season, 89-74. A strong second half performance by the Yellow Jackets proved to be the difference.

WVSU improves to 1-1 in the Mountain East Conference with the win, while CU drops to 1-1 in the MEC with the loss.

Senior guard Glen Abram once again led the Yellow Jackets in scoring with a season-high 32 points this time around. He shot 4-of-8 from three-point range and 11-of-19 from the floor. Fellow senior Jeremiah Moore added 20 points to his season total in a consistent effort from last week's display. Fifth year guard Augustus Stone proved that he can also consistently score for the Yellow Jackets with an 18-point effort. Sophomore forward Anthony Pittman rounded out the group of WVSU players to score in double-digits with 13 points.

There wasn't much to split the two sides in the opening five minutes of the contest. A layup underneath the basket by Pittman left the Yellow Jackets down by two before the first media timeout, 14-12.

West Virginia State then showed its strength in transition over the next five minutes. Pittman came up with three steals and added six points to his tally during the stretch. WVSU led by six at the midway point of the first half, 20-14.

Concord was slightly better in the third five-minute stretch of the first period. The Mountain Lions went on a 12-10 run with five of its players contributing to the scoring effort. The Yellow Jackets still held onto their lead after the CU run, 30-26.

In the final five minutes of the first half, Concord gained the momentum and eventually the lead. West Virginia State went into the locker room down by two points after a couple of late CU free throws were converted, 38-36.

Moore and Abram took charge in the second half. Moore scored eight points while Abram accounted for seven points during a 15-10 run in favor of the Yellow Jackets. WVSU reclaimed the lead at the end of the stretch, 51-50.

The run was extended after Stone knocked down a three-point shot and Moore followed with back-to-back treys. Concord finally found an answer with a David Mulumba three-pointer, but Abram fired right back with a couple of treys. WVSU ended up ahead by 13 points with 10 minutes left to play, 66-53.

There was no looking back from the Yellow Jackets after their incredible series of made three-point shots. The Mountain Lions came no closer than nine points of West Virginia State in the final 10 minutes of the game. 

With one minute remaining in the contest, Stone hit a jumper to put WVSU up by 18 points, 89-71. CU made a shot from beyond the arc in the final minute to give the game its final score.

West Virginia State won the turnover battle and were much better from the foul line. The Yellow Jackets made 22-of-30 free-throw attempts (73 percent) while the Mountain Lions shot 58 percent from the charity stripe. Meanwhile, WVSU caused 15 turnovers while only turning the rock over on eight occasions.

The Yellow Jackets will return to Institute for their next game against Notre Dame College on Wednesday, Jan. 13. The tip is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.