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West Virginia State University Athletics

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MBB2324 Thames
Photo: Todd Griffith
73
Winner West Virginia St. WVSt 7-5,4-3 MEC
66
Notre Dame (OH) NDOH 6-6,2-5 MEC
Winner
West Virginia St. WVSt
7-5,4-3 MEC
73
Final
66
Notre Dame (OH) NDOH
6-6,2-5 MEC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
West Virginia St. WVSt 29 44 73
Notre Dame (OH) NDOH 27 39 66

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

State triumphs at Notre Dame College with a strong finish

SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – After nearly a month off, West Virginia State men's basketball (7-5, 4-3 MEC) made the long trek to Notre Dame College (6-6, 2-5 MEC) and came away with a 73-66 victory. The game was tight throughout with 13 ties and six lead changes, but WVSU pulled away when it mattered most.

Fifth-year forward Anthony Pittman picked up his second double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds. He also swiped four steals. Meanwhile, senior guard Mahzi Thames posted a season-high 15 points to go along with three assists. Additionally, Miguel Martinez and Arthur Cox both scored in double-digits with 11 and 10 points respectively.

The Yellow Jackets outscored the Falcons 9-3 in the opening three minutes. Anthony Pittman knocked down a three while Arthur Cox, Nate Mims and Bunky Brown each made a bucket to give WVSU an early advantage. Six unanswered points from Notre Dame followed to tie the score on the other side of the 15-minute mark.

State pulled away once again during a nearly five-minute stretch that began around the 13-minute mark. Kalil Camara and Kahari Rogers each drained a shot from behind the arc to fuel the 11-3 surge. Landry Palata capped the run with a layup, on the back of a defensive rebound by Rogers, to put the Yellow Jackets up by eight, 22-14, with eight minutes remaining in the first half.

NDC then came all the way back to tie the score at 24-apiece with two minutes to go. The Falcons went on a 10-2 run over a nearly six-minute span to close the gap. Pittman was responsible for the two points scored by State when he banked a layup around the three-minute mark.

Pittman continued to be the lone contributor to State's scoring effort in the final two minutes of the opening half. He added five points to his tally by completing a three-point play and hitting a jumper. Notre Dame's Trent Williams then canned a trey seconds before the halftime-signaling buzzer to pull back within two points, 29-27. 

The Falcons gained the momentum in the initial two or so minutes of the second half with a 10-3 spurt. Suddenly, Notre Dame became the frontrunners with a five-point lead, 37-32.

The Yellow Jackets responded with a 7-2 run to tie the score at 39-all before the first commercial timeout. Miguel Martinez accounted for five of those points with a three-pointer and a layup.

State was unable to regain the lead by the midway point of the second half with NDC continually inching ahead. Mahzi Thames was able to keep it close by connecting on a shot from downtown to pull his team back within one point, 47-46, before the second media timeout.

The lead was regained by the Yellow Jackets twice before the third commercial timeout. Miguel Martinez finished a three-point play to put WVSU up by one, 53-52, before Pittman did the same, 55-54, with a jumper just 20 seconds later. The score ended up deadlocked again, 57-57, by the time the game's final media timeout was called with 4:44 left to play.

Head Coach Bryan Poore's talk with his team paid off with State going on a 9-3 run out of the break to take a six-point lead, 66-60, with three minutes left. The Falcons got back within two points, 68-66, after nailing a three around the one-minute mark, but came no closer. An alley-oop from Thames to Pittman quieted the home crowd and allowed WVSU to close out the contest with ease.

The Yellow Jackets will host Salem at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 13 next.

 
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