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West Virginia State University Athletics

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WBB2122 Harmeyer
Photo: Todd Griffith
78
Winner West Virginia St. WVSU
73
Elizabeth City State ECWB
Winner
West Virginia St. WVSU
78
Final
73
Elizabeth City State ECWB
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 OT 1 F
West Virginia St. WVSU 20 10 12 26 10 78
Elizabeth City State ECWB 12 18 18 20 5 73

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | James Garcia, Sports Information Director

West Virginia State wins overtime thriller at Elizabeth City State, 78-73

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. -- The West Virginia State University women's basketball team won in overtime, 78-73, at Elizabeth City State on Monday evening. The Yellow Jackets needed to hit a clutch shot at the end of regulation to send the game into overtime and win it in the added five minutes.

WVSU improves to 4-1 with the non-conference victory while ECSU drops to 5-1 following the defeat.

Junior forward Destiny Fields was the game's leading scorer with a season-high 22 points. She also grabbed six rebounds. Meanwhile, freshman forward Emyah Fortenberry recorded her first-career double-double with 13 boards and 11 points. Charity Shears and ZZ Russell also scored in double-digits with 13 and 12 points, respectively.

West Virginia State fell behind, 10-5, in the opening five minutes before going on a tear. The Yellow Jackets scored 15 unanswered points in two-and-a-half minutes to take a 10-point lead, 20-10. Charity Shears, Payton Shears, and Caroline Scott each knocked down a three-point shot on the dominant run. The Vikings hit a jumper with a minute to go in the first quarter before scoring ceased. WVSU was up by eight, 20-12, after ten minutes of action.

West Virginia State held on to its eight-point lead through the midway point of the second quarter, 25-17. The tide turned shortly thereafter when ECSU went on a 13-0 run over a two-and-a-half minute stretch. The Yellow Jackets were then sent to the charity stripe three times in the final minute of the first half and made 5-of-6 foul shots to tie it at 30-apiece before the halftime buzzer.

WVSU went up by five, 37-32, in the opening three minutes of the second half thanks partly to another three-pointer from Scott. Elizabeth City State then scored six without an answer from West Virginia State to take the lead, 38-37, with 4:30 remaining in the third quarter. The Vikings finished the third stanza on a 10-5 run to leave the Yellow Jackets with a six-point deficit, 48-42, going into the final period.

Fields scored a quick seven points by herself in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter to bring WVSU back within one point, 50-49. The Yellow Jackets stayed slightly behind the Vikings until the three-and-a-half minute mark when Fields hit a three-point shot to tie it at 60-all. A jumper made by Elizabeth City State with two minutes remaining gave ECSU a three-point edge, 66-63. Neither team was able to score again until Fields was sent to the foul line with 12 seconds left. She made both of her foul shots to cut the deficit to one, 66-65. A quick foul by WVSU on the inbound sent ECSU to the charity stripe for two shots which were both made, 68-65. With four seconds on the scoreboard, West Virginia State drew up a play that was executed perfectly. Shelby Harmeyer ended up with the ball in her hands behind the arc and drained a tray with the clock winding down to zero to send the contest into overtime.

Overtime was all but decided in the first half of the five-minute period with the Yellow Jackets scoring six unanswered, 74-68. The Vikings were able to crawl back to within three points during the second two-and-a-half minute stretch of overtime, but didn't come any closer. A layup by Fields followed by two made free-throws by Russell was enough to hold on to win it in the end.

West Virginia State caused 30 turnovers and scored 25 points off those turnovers to tip the scales.

The Yellow Jackets will return to Institute for a Mountain East Conference clash with Frostburg State on Wednesday, Dec. 1st next. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
 
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