INSTITUTE, W.Va. — West Virginia State found its second-half rhythm on Saturday afternoon, using a 39-point surge after the break to push past Bluefield State for a 65–60 win inside the Walker Convocation Center. The Yellow Jackets erased a three-point halftime deficit with efficient perimeter shooting, timely defense and a late run that secured their third victory of the season.

West Virginia State finished the afternoon shooting 19-for-50 from the field and a sharp 9-for-21 from 3-point range, adding an 18-for-24 performance at the foul line to close out the win. The Yellow Jackets totaled 33 rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass, and supplemented their offense with 12 assists, eight blocks and six steals. State generated 18 points off turnovers, 16 in the paint, nine on second chances, 14 in transition and six from the bench.

Trey Harris and Andrew Shull powered the attack with matching 19-point efforts. Harris added six rebounds and a block while hitting all seven of his free throws. Shull supplied three assists and a block while going 3-for-7 from deep. Hassan Belkhaddar chipped in 13 points with three triples, six rebounds and two blocks, and Aymeric Toussaint contributed six points, seven boards, three assists and two blocks. Jaylen Subject added two points, five rebounds and a pair of blocks off the bench.

Bluefield State shot 22-for-63 overall, 6-for-18 from 3-point range and 10-for-18 at the line while winning the rebounding battle 45–33, including 20 offensive boards. The Big Blue finished with eight assists, six steals and four blocks, and posted 28 points in the paint, 12 off turnovers, nine second-chance points, five fast-break points and seven from the bench.

Myles Pierre led all scorers with 21 points on 7-for-19 shooting, adding five rebounds. Ellija Preddy followed with 13 points, five assists, three steals and four boards before fouling out. Kyree Smith added seven points and four rebounds, while Anthony Latty delivered a six-point, 10-rebound outing with two blocks. Anthony Davenport chipped in six points and nine rebounds to round out Bluefield State's leaders.

Bluefield State controlled the early tempo, scoring the first eight points of the afternoon behind a pair of free throws and a transition layup from Latty, followed by baskets from Pierre and Davenport. West Virginia State struggled to convert early chances, missing its first six field-goal attempts and four early free throws before Harris finally put the Jackets on the board with a 3-pointer at 16:18. Shull added another 3 less than a minute later to trim the deficit to 8–6, capitalizing on a turnover forced near midcourt. The Big Blue's physical interior play generated second-chance opportunities—Latty and Davenport combined for multiple offensive rebounds in the opening stretch—and a frustrated Bluefield State called timeout at 15:26 after State's back-to-back threes cut into what had been an eight-point lead.

Bluefield State rebuilt its lead coming out of the timeout, pushing the margin back to 12–6 when Smith scored on a driving layup and Preddy turned a steal into a fast-break finish. State continued to search for rhythm offensively, missing several open looks while the Big Blue piled up second-chance opportunities on the glass. A corner 3 from Sila Tako stretched the lead to 15–6 at the 13:29 mark before Ishmael Smith finally answered with a midrange jumper. The Jackets briefly steadied themselves—Harris knocked down his second 3 of the half, then added a free throw to cut the deficit to 15–12—but Bluefield State countered again. Baker scored on a baseline drive, and although Belkhaddar responded with a layup off a feed from Subject, the Big Blue defended the paint well enough to protect a 17–14 advantage at the 9:59 mark.

After the media break, the game tightened as both teams traded defensive stops. Subject and Preddy exchanged blocks on back-to-back possessions, but West Virginia State finally gained traction when Toussaint hammered home a put-back dunk to pull the Jackets within 19–16. Bluefield State continued to lean on its size, crashing the offensive glass for multiple second-chance looks before Kemar Benn's tip-in restored a three-point cushion. State briefly stalled with a pair of turnovers, yet the defense responded—Wilkes jumped a passing lane to set up a transition 3 from Norris Bourne Jr., tying the game at 19-all with 7:48 left. The Big Blue burned another timeout, but the next several minutes turned into a grind, with both teams missing clean looks in the lane and at the arc. Pierre finally snapped the drought with a driving layup at 5:41, and Smith added a free throw after drawing contact to push the Bluefield State lead to 22–19. Another WVSU turnover in the final seconds before the media break sent the game into the 4:55 timeout with the Jackets still trailing by three.

Out of the timeout, Bluefield State stretched the margin when Pierre split a pair of free throws and then buried a deep 3 to push the lead to 26–19 with 3:44 remaining. West Virginia State continued to generate looks but struggled to convert inside, with Harris, Shull and Ishmael Smith all missing shots in the lane. The Jackets finally broke through when Belkhaddar drilled a right-wing 3 at the 2:20 mark, trimming the deficit to 26–22. Moments later, Subject kept an offensive rebound alive, drew a foul and hit both free throws to make it a one-possession game. After a defensive stop, Harris knifed to the rim to tie the score at 26–26 with 1:02 left, erasing what had once been a nine-point deficit. But the Big Blue had the final answer of the half—Pierre rose up on the right side and sank his third 3-pointer of the period with 37 seconds left, sending Bluefield State into the locker room with a 29–26 advantage. A late WVSU timeout set up a final look, but a contested 3 at the horn fell short.

West Virginia State opened the second half with a spark, shaking off a turnover on the opening possession when Belkhaddar drilled a 3 from the left wing to pull the Jackets within 31–29. Bluefield State briefly answered behind Preddy, whose pull-up jumper restored a four-point lead, but State's attack began to find rhythm. Harris sliced through the lane for a layup to make it 33–31, and after a series of defensive stops, Toussaint steadied the Jackets at the foul line by hitting both ends of a trip to pull them within 34–33. The Big Blue continued to lean on Pierre, who converted a free throw and later buried his fourth 3-pointer of the afternoon to nudge the visitors ahead 37–35. But State immediately counterpunched—Shull stepped into a transition 3 on the next possession, giving WVSU its first lead of the second half at 38–37 with 14:56 left.

Coming out of the media timeout, both teams traded empty possessions before Bluefield State briefly surged back in front. Davenport kept a possession alive with three straight offensive rebounds and finally converted a tip-in to push the Big Blue ahead 39–38 at the 14:07 mark. Harris immediately steadied the Jackets at the line, knocking down two free throws to give West Virginia State its first lead of the afternoon, 40–39. From there, State's scoring came entirely at the stripe. The Jackets couldn't buy a field goal—missing layups, mid-range looks and two 3s—but their interior defense more than compensated. Toussaint delivered back-to-back blocks on Pierre at the rim, Harris added two more free throws after a Latty foul, and WVSU continued to grind out stops as Belkhaddar and Subject battled on the glass. The stretch turned into a whistle-heavy defensive slog, with Latty converting twice to pull Bluefield State within 42–41 before Pierre tied it at 42 with a free throw at 11:56. Neither side found rhythm from the field, and despite State's effort on the boards, turnovers and missed shots kept the margin tight heading into the next media break.

Following the timeout, West Virginia State generated immediate momentum when Belkhaddar jumped a passing lane at 9:26, turning a Bluefield State turnover into a transition opportunity. The Jackets couldn't capitalize on the next few trips—Subject's jumper rimmed out and Ishmael Smith was stripped on a drive—but State's defense held firm. Subject delivered a clean block on a second-chance tip attempt, and Harris helped clear the rebound to keep the Big Blue from extending the lead. Bluefield State finally broke through at 8:21 when Davenport slipped free for a layup to make it 44–42, but State answered quickly. Belkhaddar found Shull for a midrange jumper at 8:07, tying the score at 44–44, before Smith put the Big Blue back ahead on a strong finish through contact. Neither team could create breathing room through the mid-half stretch: WVSU missed a pair of 3s, Bluefield State collected multiple offensive rebounds but came up empty on several put-backs, and foul trouble mounted on both sides. Shull steadied the Jackets again at the line, hitting two free throws at 6:03 to tie it at 46. Moments later, Harris jumped a lazy perimeter pass and went coast-to-coast for a fast-break finish, giving State a 48–46 lead—their largest of the night to that point. Pierre tied it again at 48 with a jumper, but Belkhaddar answered with his fourth 3 of the game at 4:10 off a feed from Shull, pushing the Jackets back in front 51–48 as the arena came alive.

Out of the final media timeout, Bluefield State trimmed the margin when Pierre split a pair of free throws to make it 51–49, but the Jackets quickly pushed back in front. Harris drew a foul on the next trip and buried two more at the line, and moments later Shull delivered one of the biggest shots of the afternoon—a balanced 3 from the right wing off a Toussaint kick-out—to stretch the lead to 56–49 with 2:40 left. Toussaint then set up Belkhaddar for a soaring two-hand dunk in transition, giving State its largest lead of the day at 58–49. Bluefield State burned a timeout with 1:41 left, but Shull continued to close out the game at the stripe, hitting a pull-up jumper and four straight free throws to keep the Jackets firmly ahead. The Big Blue made one late push, with Smith scoring in traffic and Preddy converting a steal into a three-point play before drilling back-to-back 3s in the final 15 seconds to cut the deficit to 64–60. Bourne Jr. added one final free throw with a second left to seal the result as West Virginia State held firm down the stretch for a 65–60 victory.

West Virginia State returns home for its conference opener on Wednesday, Dec. 3, for a 7:30 p.m. matchup against Concord.