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West Virginia State University Athletics

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MBB2324 Pittman
Photo: Todd Griffith
86
Winner West Virginia St. WVSt 3-3,1-2 MEC
77
Fairmont St. FairSt 4-2,1-2 MEC
Winner
West Virginia St. WVSt
3-3,1-2 MEC
86
Final
77
Fairmont St. FairSt
4-2,1-2 MEC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
West Virginia St. WVSt 48 38 86
Fairmont St. FairSt 38 39 77

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

Men's Basketball upsets No. 19 Fairmont State on the road

FAIRMONT, W.Va. – West Virginia State men's basketball (3-3, 1-2 MEC) traveled to nationally-ranked No. 19 Fairmont State (4-2, 1-2 MEC) on Wednesday night and came away with a resounding 86-77 victory. The Yellow Jackets picked up the first points 16 seconds into the game and never relinquished the lead.

Two Yellow Jackets scored more than half of the team's points. Redshirt senior Anthony Pittman recorded his first double-double of the season with 28 points and 15 rebounds. Both were season-highs for the fifth-year forward. Meanwhile, junior forward Arthur Cox posted a season-high 23 points. He made 8-of-12 field goals. 

The Yellow Jackets never trailed in the first half. They scored the first two baskets of the game, a three-pointer from Arthur Cox prior to a layup by Mahzi Thames, and never let up afterwards.

West Virginia State increased its lead to double-digits for the first time around the nine-minute mark of the first half. Cox dished to Antonio Carter who proceeded to drain a shot from behind the arc to give WVSU an 11-point cushion, 28-17.

The Falcons spent the remainder of the first half trying to close the gap. The closest they came was shrinking the deficit to five points, 41-36, with 1:43 to go in the opening period after knocking down a pair of treys without a response in between. 

The Yellow Jackets then outscored Fairmont, 7-2, in the final stretch of the first half. Cox nailed a jumper, Anthony Pittman completed a three-point play and Thames landed a hook shot with two seconds on the clock to put WVSU up by 10, 48-38, at the break.

The Falcons chipped away at the lead in the beginning of the second half and came back to within one point of tying the score, 56-55, around the 13-minute mark. Pittman then turned on the jets and dropped seven unanswered points in a little over a minute. He hit a three before banking a couple of layups to extend the lead to eight points, 63-55, with approximately 11 minutes to play.

Before the last commercial timeout was called under four minutes, Pittman ran the court for another layup, and was fouled, after the Falcons turned the rock over. He came back out after the media timeout for a free throw and sank it to give his team another eight-point advantage, 75-67.

In the final three or so minutes of the contest, Cox and Pittman combined for 11 points to ensure that the Yellow Jackets maintained their lead through the last buzzer.

West Virginia State shot 51 percent from the floor and 68 percent from the charity stripe to achieve an important win on the road.

The Yellow Jackets will be looking to extend their two-game win streak when they host Frostburg State on Saturday, Dec. 2 at 4 p.m. next.
 
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