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West Virginia State University Athletics

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MBB2223 Kinsler
Photo: Todd Griffith
84
Wheeling WHL 1-7,0-5 MEC
92
Winner West Virginia St. WVSt 8-0,5-0 MEC
Wheeling WHL
1-7,0-5 MEC
84
Final
92
West Virginia St. WVSt
8-0,5-0 MEC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Wheeling WHL 45 39 84
West Virginia St. WVSt 40 52 92

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

No. 16 West Virginia State rallies in second half to down Cardinals

INSTITUTE, W.Va. – The No. 16 West Virginia State University men's basketball team (8-0, 5-0 MEC) used a strong second-half performance to take down Wheeling (1-7, 0-5 MEC) by a final score of 92-84 on Wednesday night at the Walker Convocation Center. The Yellow Jackets extended their win streak to eight games and are still unbeaten on the season.

Sophomore guard Samier Kinsler led the scoring effort with a game-high 19 points, including five three-pointers. Classmate Dwaine Jones was second-in-line with a season-high 16 points to go along with a game-leading six assists. Junior forward Malik Whitaker notched his fifth double-double of the season, and third straight, with a game-best 11 rebounds and 10 points.

West Virginia State got off to a sluggish start in the first half. Wheeling went up 10-2 after three-and-a-half minutes ticked off the clock. The Cardinals' Marcus Johnson hit a trey and a pair of jumpers to put his team in front. Kinsler then stopped the bleeding before the first commercial timeout by knocking down a three-pointer to slow Wheeling's momentum.  

The Yellow Jackets continued to trail the Cardinals through the midway point of the first half and were down by nine, 25-16, at the 10-minute mark. Over the next five minutes, WVSU went on a 18-10 run to pull back within one-point, 35-34, of Wheeling. Ibn Loyal started the run with a big-time dunk while Miguel Martinez finished off with back-to-back three-point buckets.

The Cardinals slightly edged State, 10-6, in the remaining time of the opening stanza. The Yellow Jackets were subsequently left with a five-point gap, 45-40, to close in the second half.

WVSU did in fact close the gap in the opening two minutes of the second stanza. Kinsler and Jones combined for nine points to tie the score at 49-apiece. The game was then played close until around the 13-minute mark.

The turning point of the contest then occurred during a four-minute stretch in which State scored 12 unanswered. Graduate guard Taevon Horton accounted for half the points scored by WVSU while the Cardinals shot 0-for-6 from the floor and turned the rock over twice. At the end of the dominant run, the Yellow Jackets were suddenly ahead by a whopping 15 points, 72-57, with a little less than 10 minutes to play.

The Cardinals responded four minutes later with 11 unanswered to cut the lead to two points, 79-77. Just over two minutes remained until the final buzzer with the momentum favoring Wheeling.

Kinsler then drained a massive three-pointer to end State's scoring drought. He hit another trey with 1:15 to go to put WVSU up by eight, 87-79. The last minute was then played to a 5-5 draw to give the game its final score, 92-84.

The Yellow Jackets limited turnovers with only 10 committed while scoring 56 of their points in the paint to stay undefeated.

All eyes will be watching State's next game on Saturday, Dec. 10 at No. 4 West Liberty. Both teams are nationally-ranked and unbeaten going into the monumental MEC clash. The tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the ASRC.


 
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