WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. -- The West Virginia State University men's basketball team mounted a comeback at No. 9 West Liberty for its sixth-consecutive victory on Wednesday night, 100-96. The Yellow Jackets trailed by as much as 14 points in the first half, but reversed their fortunes in the second half to edge the Hilltoppers.

WVSU improves to 6-1 in the Mountain East Conference with the win, while WLU drops to 4-2 in the MEC with the loss.

Sophomore forward Anthony Pittman led the Yellow Jackets in scoring with 28 points and added 12 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season. Senior forward Jeremiah Moore recorded 26 points and a game-high 14 rebounds for his second double-double on the year. Sophomore guard Treohn Watkins tied his career-high of 21 points, while senior guard Glen Abram came up with 16 points to round out the top scorers for WVSU. 

West Virginia State played from behind in the initial 10 minutes of the contest. West Liberty made five three-pointers on the way to a six-point advantage, 24-18. Glen Abram drained a long-range three and pulled up for two mid-range jumpers to prevent the game from slipping away during the opening stretch.

A signature three-pointer from way downtown by Treohn Watkins followed by a couple of free throws from Montrell Horsey cut the deficit to one point with seven minutes remaining, 24-23. That was as close as the Yellow Jackets came to taking the lead before the Hilltoppers went on a 17-4 run over the next three-and-a-half minutes. WVSU was left with a 14-point gap to close, 41-27.

West Virginia State responded with a 10-4 run in the final three minutes of the first half to diminish West Liberty's lead to single-digits. The Yellow Jackets were then faced with an eight-point deficit to overcome in the second half, 45-37.

WVSU was relentless from the start of the second half. The Hilltoppers clung to their lead for the first six minutes, but the Yellow Jackets stayed in pursuit and kept chipping away at the deficit. With 13:22 remaining in the second period, Anthony Pittman pulled off an old-fashioned three-point play to tie the game at 59-all.

The next five minutes was played to an even eight-point split to keep the game deadlocked, 67-67. Neither side was able to pull away until Jeremiah Moore single-handedly managed a four-point swing with a pair of tough shots underneath the basket. West Virginia State was subsequently in front at the five-minute mark, 80-76.

WLU was persistent in the last five minutes, but the Yellow Jackets refused to give up the lead that they fought so hard for. Watkins pulled off a spectacular three-point play to make it a two-possession game with one minute to go, 91-85. That play essentially sealed the victory for WVSU as West Liberty was unable to come up with any late-game heroics.

West Virginia State shot over 50 percent from the floor to claim the victory while West Liberty made only 37 percent of its baskets.

The Yellow Jackets will come back home for their next game versus Wheeling on Saturday, Jan. 30. The tip is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.