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West Virginia State University Athletics

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MBB2324 Pittman
Photo: Todd Griffith
80
West Virginia State WVSU-M 20-10
96
Winner California (PA) CAL-M 28-4
West Virginia State WVSU-M
20-10
80
Final
96
California (PA) CAL-M
28-4
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
West Virginia State WVSU-M 36 44 80
California (PA) CAL-M 42 54 96

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

Yellow Jackets downed by hosts Cal in first round of Atlantic Regional

CALIFORNIA, Pa. – No. 7 seed West Virginia State men's basketball (20-10) suffered a 96-80 defeat to hosts No. 2 seed Cal U (28-4) in the first round of the NCAA Atlantic Regional on Friday night. The Yellow Jackets were plagued by poor shooting in the first half but still managed to keep the game close until late in the second half.

Anthony Pittman scored a game-high 30 points and grabbed five rebounds in his final game in a State jersey. He finishes his five-year collegiate career with 1,961 points and 1,058 rebounds. Nate Mims (12 points), Miguel Martinez (11 points) and Kalil Camara (10 points) were the three other Yellow Jackets to score in double-digits,   

West Virginia State made the first two baskets of the game to take a 4-0 lead following the opening tip. Anthony Pittman dished to Nate Mims for a layup before Arthur Cox nailed a jumper.

The Vulcans responded with a 12-4 run that gave them a four-point advantage, 12-8, at the 14-minute mark. Cal's Donald Whitehead Jr. finished a rare four-point play to put his team on top.

The deficit grew to 10 points, 21-11, at the 9:32-mark on the heels of a 9-1 run from Cal. The Yellow Jackets were shooting just 26 percent from the floor up to that point in the first half and had yet to convert a three-point attempt.

Pittman kept the game from slipping away with eight points over the ensuing three minutes. He completed a three-point play, drained a shot from behind the arc and hit a jumper. Pittman's hot streak cut the lead to six points, 27-21, on the other side of the seven-minute mark.

The Vulcans were able to extend their lead back out to 10 points, 34-24, with four-and-a-half minutes remaining in the opening half. State then went on its best run of the first half, a 10-3 surge, over the next three minutes. Mims recorded five points to lead the surge. Pittman capped the run with another three-point bucket that shrank the deficit to three points, 37-34, inside of the two-minute mark.

Cal's Antoine Arnett dunked as time was expiring in the opening half to give the Vulcans a six-point lead, 42-36, going into halftime.

The Yellow Jackets kept the game within reach through the initial 10 minutes of the second half. At one point, they were within four points, 55-51, of Cal after Mahzi Thames knocked down a trey. 

The dagger for State was an 11-3 run by the Vulcans between 10- and six-minute marks. They began the run with a 10-point advantage and ended up with an 18-point cushion, 80-62.

The Yellow Jackets chucked up shots while Cal burned time off the clock in the last six minutes of the contest. Pittman made a jumper with two minutes left to close the gap to 12 points, 88-76, briefly. The Vulcans then shot 8-of-8 from the charity stripe to seal their victory.

State accomplished a 20-win season for the third-straight year and made the NCAA DII Tournament for the second time in three years. WVSU also made its second trip to the MEC Tournament semifinals in five years. The Yellow Jackets will have plenty of momentum going into the 2024-25 season.
 
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