INSTITUTE, W.VA. – For the second time this season, West Virginia State University Basketball has knocked off a ranked opponent, downing No. 7 Fairmont State Wednesday 95-84 in Walker Convocation Center in a Mountain East Conference matchup.
WVSU moves to 14-5 on the season and 9-3 in the league, while FSU suffers just their third loss of the year, slipping to 15-3 (10-3 MEC).
Sophomore Anthony Pittman and graduate student Jeremiah Moore starred for State, finishing with 33 and 19 points on the stat sheet, respectively. Pittman's 33 points were a career-high as he tallied his fifth double-double of the season by adding 11 rebounds. Pittman shot 12-of-21 from the floor, and also posted four blocks, five assists, and three steals in a standout performance.
Sophomore Noah Jordan delivered 18 points and graduate student Glen Abram added 10 while pulling in seven boards.
State shot an impressive 53% from the floor and were stellar in the second half at 63%.
State took the lead two minutes into the contest on a tip-in from Moore and did not relinquish control until six minutes remaining in the half. The Yellow Jackets used an 8-0 scoring run over two minutes of action, featuring back-to-back jumpers from Pittman and a trey from Abram, to build a 23-14 advantage with just over 11 minutes to go in the frame.
The Falcons pressured WVSU, putting up eight consecutive points over the next two and a half minutes to narrow State's lead to just one point at 25-24.
The squads traded possession for the next few minutes as the Yellow Jackets held on to their lead until 5:54 on the clock, when FSU made good on a free throw and took control at 33-32.
The final minutes of the half turned in a nail biting thriller as the Yellow Jackets fought to regain the lead and Fairmont continued to claw.
A Pittman three on a dish from Moore to briefly put State back on top at 35-33, but it was short lived after a tip-in returned things to a stalemate at 4:47.
Fairmont State used a three to go back on top 38-35, and kept the lead for the duration of the half, despite a put back tip-in from Pittman and a trey from senior Bradlee Lewis that each brought the Yellow Jackets within one point.
The Yellow Jackets, mostly Moore, surged to open up the second half, going on a 16-3 scoring run through the first five and a half minutes, including 14 straight points and forcing three FSU turnovers, to regain control and add some cushion with a 10-point lead at 58-48. Moore hauled off 10 points in the sequence including a dunk.
State continued to command the court as the half progressed, edging the Falcons by as many as 14 points. FSU looked to threaten after a 9-2 scoring run through three minutes to narrow the margin to seven points at 68-61, but back-to-back jumpers from graduate student Ernest Jenkins and Pittman to regain a double-digit lead (72-61).
Fairmont State refused to go quietly, closing the gap to just four points at 74-70 with just under six minutes left in regulation.
Pittman responded to the pressure, making good at the charity stripe then pulling out a steal and dunk in an 11-2 drive lasting nearly three minutes and lifting WVSU to an 85-72 mark.
Jordan got in on the dunk action, going for the slam and rewarded with a basket from the line to push State to their biggest lead of the contest at 88-73 with under two to play.
Pittman continued to impress in the final moments of action, delivering another dunk on a rebound-turned-assist from Abram, and despite a trio of free throws for the Falcons, WVSU knocked off FSU, finishing 95-84.
State's previous ranked victory came against No. 11 Embry-Riddle 87-69 at the Hoops in Hawaii Holiday Classic in mid-December.
UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets travel north to Maryland to face Frostburg State Saturday. Tip is scheduled for 4 p.m., with live stats and video available.
