WHEELING, W.VA. – West Virginia State Women's Basketball delivered a thrilling performance Wednesday, outlasting fellow Mountain East Conference foes Wheeling at the Alma McDonough Center in a 99-95 overtime battle.
The contest was WVSU's first overtime game of the season, and the Yellow Jackets improve to 6-2 overall and an even .500 in league play (2-2).
For the second-straight contest, senior Alana Kramer finished with 16 points, leading all State scorers. She added eight rebounds. The Yellow Jackets had four others with double-digit points, with junior Destiny Fields and senior Charity Shears adding 13 apiece, and fellow veteran Payton Shears with 15. Junior Shelby Harmeyer recorded 10.
Freshman Emyah Fortenberry was a force on the boards, registering a season-high 15 rebounds. State was perfect at the line during the second and third quarters, and finished at a 73% free throw percentage.
The Yellow Jackets were also successful at second-chance points, putting up 28 to Wheeling's five.
It was a slow start for the Yellow Jackets in the first quarter, being held to just two points through almost the first four minutes of play. The Cardinals opened with an 11-0 run featuring three consecutive three-pointers to build a lead.
A Charity Shears layup, following by a trey from Caroline Scott and a free throw from another Shears in sister Payton, narrowed the Wheeling lead to just three points at 11-8. The Cardinals broke loose again, putting six straight points before a Payton three ended the quarter with the Yellow Jackets down 17-11.
The two sides traded points to open the second quarter until State took the lead 24-23 after a pair of P. Shears free throws and a three from Kramer.
Wheeling regained control after netting four points within 25 seconds of each other to go up 28-24, but Scott kept the Yellow Jackets close after two points from the line.
The squads went back to trading points as State continued to trail. A Charity Shears trey brought WVSU within two points again at 33-31 before Wheeling increased their lead to 38 on a three and a pair of free throws.
A surge of offense from Shelby Harmeyer welcomed a 7-0 run for the Yellow Jackets, joined by Emyah Fortenberry to even the contest at 38 all with under a minute of play. Wheeling made good on two free throws to end the half up a basket at 40-38.
WVSU opened the second half on an 11-4 run, as a trio of Yellow Jackets went beyond the arc and put State in the driver's seat at 49-44. Destiny Fields added cushion on a layup and the squad went on to build a 10-point advantage at 58-48 with just under half of the third quarter remaining.
The Cardinals cut the lead after a 5-0 run trimmed the State lead to four points, but a set of free points from Harmeyer and a Kramer jumper added some cushion as WVSU ended the quarter in command, up 62-57.
Wheeling broke out of the fourth quarter with some sharp shooting, putting up nine consecutive points to tie the game once more and take the lead at 65-62. Harmeyer hit a trey to bring the game back to a stalemate at 65 all, followed by a jumper from Alexis Hall to push the Yellow Jackets back in control.
The Cardinals continued to pressure, but back-to-back layups from Fields built the Yellow Jackets' lead to six points at 80-74, and then consecutive treys from C. Shears widened the gap to eight at 86-78.
The lead was short-lived, as Wheeling poured on eight straight points to tie the game at 86-86, sending the Yellow Jackets into overtime.
State proved success at the line is key, going 9-for-13 during the overtime session. Payton Shears dominated the final frame, putting up seven points.
The Cardinals threatened, coming within one point at 93-92, but a 6-3 scoring run for State, capped by a pair of free throws from Hall, secured the comeback for the Yellow Jackets at 99-95.
UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets wrap up 2021 with another MEC matchup, facing West Liberty Saturday with a 5:30 p.m. tipoff. Live stats and streaming will be available.
