INSTITUTE, W. Va. – The West Virginia State University women's basketball team played host to crosstown rival Charleston on Saturday afternoon. The Yellow Jackets kept it close but could not quite pull it out, 92-80.

Senior Sa'Dera Johnson was honored before the game. An emotional message from her family played on the video board as part of the Senior Night ceremony seemed to inspire her early in the contest. She ended up with 10 points and a steal.   

WVSU finished the regular season with an 8-7 record in the Mountain East Conference with the loss while UC completed the regular season with a 14-2 record in the MEC with the victory.

Sophomore Shelby Harmeyer led the way for the Yellow Jackets with 14 points and eight rebounds to nearly register a double-double. Juniors Charity Shears, 14 points, and Alana Kramer, 13 points, also helped with the scoring on the night.

The first couple minutes of the first quarter looked like the game was going to be a nail-biter. Both teams were trying everything but could not manage to get any separation. That held true until West Virginia State got hot around the six-minute mark with a run that was sparked by a Charity Shears three-pointer. The Yellow Jackets were able to expand on their lead for the rest of the quarter and ended the opening period up by eight, 28-20.

Charleston was able to claw their way back into the game early in the second period of play and even found themselves back in the lead around the five-and-a-half-minute point. From that point on, the rest of the quarter was a dog fight. The lead changed multiple times as both teams struggled to overtake the other. However, in the last minute of the first half UC went on a small run and went into the break ahead by six points, 47-41.

Charleston came out of the break with a hot hand. The momentum from the small run at the end of the first half carried over and the Golden Eagles grew their lead throughout the entire third quarter. WVSU never backed down, though, and continued to fight to get back into the game. Regardless, UC still held onto a solid 12-point lead, 68-56, going into the final period of play.

The final quarter of play was the tightest period of the game. UC was not able to increase its lead any, but WVSU was still unable to cut into the deficit. It was a fast-paced, intense quarter in which Charleston barely managed to fend off any surges by the Yellow Jackets. The quarter ended with UC still clinging to the same 12-point advantage picked up at the end of the third.

A big reason West Virginia State was able to keep this game close was a strong presence in the paint. The Yellow Jackets scored 58 points in the paint compared to UC's 22 points.

West Virginia State will host West Virginia Wesleyan at the Walker Convocation Center for the first round of the MEC Championship on Monday, March 1. The tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.

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