INSTITUTE, W.Va. — West Virginia State opened the 2025–26 season in emphatic fashion Friday night at the Earl Lloyd Classic, pulling away from Livingstone in the second half for a 100–85 victory inside the Walker Convocation Center. The Yellow Jackets hit the 100-point mark in their season opener for the first time since joining the Mountain East Conference.

The opening 20 minutes played out like a track meet, with neither side able to create separation. Livingstone came out firing, scoring the first seven points in just 78 seconds behind a Jeremiah Mobley drive and back-to-back buckets from James Nipper. West Virginia State answered quickly, with Aymeric Toussaint scoring on consecutive possessions to settle the Jackets after the early punch.

Livingstone controlled most of the early stretch, pushing the lead to 19–13 on the strength of Nipper's downhill attacks and a pair of threes from Jacob Hunkins, who buried shots on consecutive trips at the 13:29 and 13:09 marks. Mobley repeatedly pushed tempo to keep the Blue Bears in front.

State responded with a wave of perimeter shooting. Trey Harris knocked down a three from the right wing to trim the deficit to 13–11, and Hassan Belkhaddar followed with back-to-back threes — one in transition, one off a kick-out — to give WVSU its first lead of the night.

The burst opened the door for Tyree Davis, who delivered an immediate spark off the bench. The junior forward hammered home a dunk at the 12:31 mark, then, two possessions later, drilled a three from the top of the arc and converted a free throw to complete a four-point play sequence. His run fueled an 11–3 stretch that flipped a 29–24 deficit into a 32–29 State lead.

The teams spent the rest of the half trading blows. Hunkins tied the game at 32 on a spot-up jumper, Mobley responded with a three at the 7:22 mark to push Livingstone ahead, and Norris Bourne answered with a corner triple just nine seconds later. Smith powered a mini-run with a layup and three-point play to make it 43–38, but Livingstone steadied itself at the line — Andrae Shaw knocked down four straight free throws to pull the Blue Bears even again.

With the half winding down, Jaylen Subject splashed a three to put WVSU ahead 46–42, only for Livingstone to answer with a final surge. Nipper tied it with a driving layup, Mobley added a go-ahead layup with 43 seconds left and then hit the free throw to complete the three-point play, and Shaw added two more foul shots to give Livingstone a 51–48 lead with just seconds remaining.

But State struck last. Smith pushed the ball ahead in transition and found Belkhaddar on the left wing, where the junior calmly rose and buried a contested three with two seconds left, sending the Walker Convocation Center into a roar and sending the teams to halftime tied at 51.

West Virginia State wasted no time seizing control after the break. Locked in a 51–51 tie, the Yellow Jackets opened the second half with the defining stretch of the night — a blistering 29–13 run that blew the game open and turned a deadlock into a double-digit advantage they would never surrender.

Belkhaddar started the surge with a driving layup, and Harris followed with a transition finish to put WVSU ahead 57–54. Smith attacked the rim for another fast-break layup, and Andrew Shull buried a pull-up jumper in transition to stretch the lead to 61–54. Harris added a powerful tip-in moments later, and after a defensive stop, Shull drilled a three to push the margin to eight.

Smith continued to control the pace, sinking two free throws and scoring again in transition to make it 72–63. Davis then ignited the building with a layup plus the foul, converting the free throw before stepping into a right-wing three to stretch the cushion to 78–63. Harris capped the onslaught with a thundering fast-break dunk, giving State an 80–63 advantage with just under 10 minutes to play.

Livingstone continued to compete — Nipper slashed for late layups and free throws, Wisdom Rogers added trips to the line, and Hunkins knocked down two technical foul shots — but the Blue Bears never cut the deficit inside nine. WVSU repeatedly answered with rebounding, pace and balanced scoring from its depth pieces.

State's bench contributed 17 second-half points, and the Jackets shot a blistering 17 for 32 (.531) over the final 20 minutes. Smith led the charge early in the half and finished with 21 points, while Davis poured in a series of key second-half buckets — including a layup, three-pointer, tip-in and four free throws — to finish with 19. Harris added 14 points and eight rebounds, punctuating his night with the dunk that swung momentum decisively in State's favor. Toussaint anchored the interior with multiple blocks, double-digit rebounds and two late free throws that pushed WVSU to the 100-point mark.

Livingstone shot just 9 for 37 (.243) in the second half despite a relentless offensive rebounding effort from Justin Baxter. Nipper led the Blue Bears with 22 points, Mobley added 15, and Hunkins scored 18, including three first-half threes. Baxter grabbed nine rebounds, including seven on the offensive end.

With the win, West Virginia State opens the 2025–26 season at 1–0, scoring 100 points in its season debut and starting the Earl Lloyd Classic with a strong statement. The Yellow Jackets continue the event Saturday at 4 p.m., hosting Claflin in their second game of the weekend.