INSTITUTE, W.VA. -- It was a tale of two contests this weekend for West Virginia State Women's Basketball, as the Yellow Jackets debuted in perfect fashion as they hosted the Atlantic Region Tip-Off in Walker Convocation Center this weekend. 

State outlasted Fayetteville State in their 2021-22 opener, picking up at 69-65 win Saturday in come-from-behind fashion where they outscored the Broncos 21-6 in the fourth quarter, and then followed up with a much more dominating performance Sunday in a 84-71 victory over Slippery Rock. 

Standout performances include sophomore Hannah Shriver, who registered her first career double-double Saturday, and Sunday's game-high scorer, junior Charity Shears. 

SATURDAY: WVSU 69, FSU 64

The Yellow Jackets had a trio of double-digit scorers in Shriver (20), Shears (16), and sophomore Alexis Hall (13). Shriver was a perfect 9-for-9 at the charity stripe, and turned in the first double-double of her career after hauling in 12 rebounds. Her 20 points was just two shy of her career-best. 

Freshman forward Emyah Fortenberry also impressed, pulling in a game-high 13 boards. 

State went up 4-0 in the first quarter on a pair of free throws from Shriver and a jumper from sophomore Shelby Harmeyer, a mark that held for almost four minutes before the Broncos used a three-pointer almost immediately followed by a fastbreak layup to take control. 

Fayetteville State remained in the lead for the duration of the frame and the two squads started the second quarter, with State trailing 18-14. 

A Shriver layup put WVSU briefly in the lead at 19-18, but FSU went on an 8-2 run over the next two and a half minutes, building a 26-21 advantage. The Broncos carried a lead by as much as seven points, but two sets of free throws from Shriver and another pair from junior Ashley Davis narrowed the gap to just one point at 32-31, and the Yellow Jackets went into halftime trailing by three at 34-31. 

Fayetteville State continued to control the game, accruing a lead by as many as 14 points in the third quarter, and ending the frame with a 59-48 lead over State. 

Cue the fourth quarter and the Yellow Jackets comeback, where the team shot 40% from the floor and 44% from outside. Shears shined, scoring all but one of her total points in the fourth- going 4-for-7 on both field goals and three-pointers. Fortenberry grabbed four rebounds.

With around 8:30 left to play, State started on a 13-3 run that featured three consecutive treys from Shears and took the lead for the first time since the second quarter. Twin sister Payton Shears put up the lay-in to bring WVSU to 67-65, and Shriver sunk the final two points of the game with free throws to pull off the 69-65 comeback. 
 

SUNDAY: WVSU 84, SLIPPERY ROCK 71

The team saw another trio of double-digit scorers Sunday, with Charity Shears leading the way with 23 and added five steals. Shriver added 14, and Harmeyer notched 13. Junior Alana Kramer tallied a team-high six rebounds.

State surged in the first quarter, going out on a 12-0 run to begin the contest, all featuring the duo of Harmeyer and Kramer. The Yellow Jackets began to run away, this time putting up 18 consecutive baskets on a run that lasted nearly two minutes and handed WVSU a commanding 30-8 lead. 

C. Shears posted eight points in the run and freshman ZZ Russell added six as they went 4-for-5 from the arc. 

For the remainder of the quarter, State led by 20 points or more, finishing at 37-11. Harmeyer netted 10 points during the frame. 

Harmeyer led the second quarter off with a three before Slippery Rock started to chip away, going on a 10-0 run to trim the deficit to 40-21. The Yellow Jacket shooting returned at the under three mark with back-to-back layups from junior Ashley Davis and Shriver, followed by a trey from Shears to put State ahead 49-28. Shears added a pair from the line to send WVSU into the locker room up 51-28 at the half. 

Slippery Rock attempted to climb back to open the second half, using a 12-2 run to build some momentum and cut the State lead to 53-40.  The Rock continued to chip away, coming within eight points at 60-52 to end the quarter after another 12-point run. SRU outscored the Yellow Jackets 24-9 in the frame. 

The fourth quarter started with a layup from Payton Shears, and then two made foul shots from Fortenberry brought the State lead back to 10 points at 64-54, and then again on a Payton Shears three at 67-57. 

The Rock continued to threaten, but the Shears sisters kept responding, as Charity netted a trey to once again give the Yellow Jackets some cushion at 70-59. 

The Shears' continued to control the court, each dishing out an assist on made baskets from Shriver and Fortenberry to help WVSU remain with a commanding lead. Shriver went to the line thrice with under two minutes to play, remaining perfect on the season in free throws as she built State's lead to 82-68, and then a final pair of shots from line from Davis secured the victory. 

UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets head out on the road for a Wednesday contest against Pitt-Johnstown. Live stats and video will be available.