INSTITUTE, W.Va. – The West Virginia State University women's basketball team hosted West Virginia Wesleyan in the first round of the Mountain East Conference Tournament on Monday night at the Walker Convocation Center. The Yellow Jackets relied on three-point shooting throughout the contest and ultimately were defeated, 100-84.
West Virginia State ends the season with a final record of 8-8 in the MEC with the loss while West Virginia Wesleyan moves on the next round of the MEC Tournament with a record of 6-10 after the win.
Sophomore Alexis Hall led the way in scoring for WVSU with 15 points on the night. Junior Payton Shears helped out by tallying 13 points while sophomore Shelby Harmeyer produced a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
West Virginia Wesleyan came out of the gates hot. The Bobcats started the game on a quick run and had the Yellow Jackets facing an 8-2 deficit by the six-minute mark of the first quarter. That run, however, was shut down quickly with the help of two treys by West Virginia State's Sa'Dera Johnson and Alana Kramer. WVSU used the rest of the period to climb back into the game but never quite gained the lead back. Wesleyan ended the first quarter of play up by one, 20-19.
The Bobcats started the second quarter of play in the same way that they started the game. They came out and made two three-point shots to increase their lead to seven before WVSU was forced to call a timeout. After the timeout, the Yellow Jackets were able to really get it going. West Virginia State was able to go on a huge run led by Alexis Hall's two three-point buckets. By the four-and-a-half-minute mark of the second period, the Yellow Jackets had taken the lead. Once the lead was obtained, WVSU was able to withstand a surge from Wesleyan and hold onto a small two-point lead, 49-47, going into the break.
The third quarter was played at a very fast pace. Both teams were flying up and down the court, getting shots off before the shot clock had an opportunity to run down. Neither team was able to convert a high-percentage of their shots in the third quarter. It was a low-scoring, evenly matched affair that didn't favor either team. In the final minute of the quarter, though, Wesleyan was able to string together a couple of fast break layups to win the third period by four points and take a two-point lead, 67-65, going into the fourth.
The bit of momentum that the Bobcats had at the end of the third quarter carried over into the start of the fourth. Wesleyan was able to begin the quarter on a marginal run, expanding their lead and holding WVSU scoreless for the first four minutes of the period. From that point on, the Yellow Jackets had to try to fight their way back into the game. West Virginia State tried to pressure the ball and had open shots but was unable to get them to fall. Wesleyan was able to keep control of the game and build on its lead as the final period progressed. Eventually, the Bobcats created a gap that was too great to overcome for the Yellow Jackets.
West Virginia State came up with 12 steals as a team. In comparison, West Virginia Wesleyan only forced five steals as a unit.
The .500 overall record accomplished by WVSU this season is a point of pride for the women's basketball program. The last time that the Yellow Jackets finished a season with a winning percentage that was .500 or better was eight years ago during the 2013-14 season in which they went 19-12.
