INSTITUTE, W.Va. — West Virginia State secured its first Mountain East Conference win of the season on Wednesday night, pulling away in the second half for a 62–51 victory over Wheeling inside the Walker Convocation Center. The Yellow Jackets used a dominant transition attack, 40 points in the paint and a stifling defensive effort to move to 3–5 overall and 1–2 in league play.

West Virginia State finished the night shooting 28-of-53 from the field, including 3-of-10 from three and 3-of-3 at the foul line, while totaling 33 rebounds, nine assists, seven steals and two blocks. The Yellow Jackets scored 40 points in the paint, 16 fast-break points, 13 points off turnovers and seven second-chance points, adding four points from the bench. State committed 19 turnovers and 17 fouls.

Wheeling shot 18-of-50 overall, 6-of-23 from three and 9-of-10 at the line while collecting 23 rebounds, eight assists, eight steals and two blocks. The Cardinals produced 24 points in the paint, 22 points off turnovers, nine second-chance points and four fast-break points, but were held to just six bench points. They finished with 17 turnovers and 10 fouls.

Latisha Parris led West Virginia State with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting, adding seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. Imani Hickman matched her with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including two three-pointers, and grabbed six boards. Ahjanae Young scored 10 points with five rebounds and two steals, while Lillian Jackson added 10 points, six rebounds and an assist. Baylee Goins contributed 10 points, five assists and three rebounds. Kenly Rogers added four points and a steal, and D'Laneigh Brooks totaled three rebounds, a block and a steal in 10 minutes.

Wheeling was led by Emilia Sierra Lacosta, who scored a game-high 23 points with five three-pointers and three rebounds. Kenzie Dalton added six points, six rebounds, six steals and three assists, and Graci Fairman chipped in six points and two rebounds. Layla Merriweather finished with seven points and four boards, while Emma Reynolds posted seven points, three rebounds and two assists.

West Virginia State set the tone early in its first Mountain East Conference win of the season, stringing together an 8–0 burst to open the afternoon and controlling most of the first quarter against Wheeling. Baylee Goins started the scoring just 22 seconds in with a driving layup, and Ahjanae Young quickly added a jumper before converting her own miss into a put-back tipin that pushed the lead to 6–0 and forced Wheeling to burn a timeout at the 8:12 mark.

Imani Hickman kept the offense rolling out of the break, scoring through contact at 7:39 after a feed from Lillian Jackson to make it 8–2. On the defensive end, the Yellow Jackets were active and disruptive from the start, piling up three steals and a block in the period while holding Wheeling to 4-of-12 shooting.

Wheeling briefly steadied behind a pair of interior scores and a three from Emilia Sierra Lacosta, tying the game at 8–8 entering the final three minutes. But State responded with another late push. Hickman finished in the paint again at 2:13 to reclaim a 10–9 lead, and Latisha Parris delivered the biggest momentum swing of the quarter—first racing coast-to-coast off a steal for a fast-break layup at :57, then beating the horn with a deep three from the right wing to push the margin to 15–9 at the break.

State shot a blistering 7-of-11 in the period and dominated the paint 10–6 while forcing seven Cardinal turnovers and turning them into seven points. Young anchored the early surge with four points and five rebounds, and Hickman added four points and three boards to help the Jackets carry a six-point edge into the second quarter.

Wheeling opened the second quarter with a surge at the foul line, converting three free throws at 9:37 to trim West Virginia State's lead to 15–12 and briefly seize the momentum. The Yellow Jackets committed early fouls and turnovers in the period, allowing the Cardinals to pull even when Layla Merriweather knocked down a three at 7:34 to tie the game at 15–15.

State steadied itself behind Baylee Goins and Lillian Jackson, who combined to restore order midway through the quarter. After a Wheeling runout gave the Cardinals their first lead at 17–15, Goins answered immediately with a paint jumper at 6:55 to tie it once more. Jackson stepped in from there, scoring twice in the lane—including a strong finish off a Goins assist at 5:53—to push State back in front, 19–17.

Wheeling again tied the game at 19–19 on a driving layup with 4:49 left, but the final minutes of the half belonged to the Yellow Jackets. Latisha Parris continued her energetic performance with an offensive rebound and tipin at 4:33, reclaiming the lead for good at 21–19. Thirty seconds later, Goins turned defense into instant offense, swatting a jumper on one end before streaking to the rim for a fast-break layup to make it 23–19.

Jackson added a midrange jumper at 3:16 off another Goins setup, stretching the margin to 25–19 as State's offense rediscovered its rhythm. The Jackets controlled the final two minutes defensively, contesting every perimeter look and denying Wheeling any second-chance scoring.

Despite shooting just 5-of-13 in the frame, State manufactured eight points in the paint and found timely baskets from Jackson, Goins and Parris to take a 25–20 lead into halftime. The Yellow Jackets also forced four Wheeling turnovers and limited the Cardinals to 1-of-9 from three during the period.

The 45 combined points in the first half marked the lowest total in any WVSU game this season.

West Virginia State delivered its strongest offensive stretch of the afternoon in the third quarter, using a series of runs sparked by defensive pressure and transition scoring to create the separation it would carry to the finish. Wheeling opened the half with four quick points to tie the game at 25–25, but the Yellow Jackets responded immediately. After a stop on the defensive end, Hickman buried a three from the right wing at 6:39—her first of the game—to reclaim a 28–25 lead and ignite a decisive surge.

Latisha Parris took over the next sequence, jumping a passing lane for a steal and racing the length of the floor for a fast-break layup at 6:26 to push the margin to five. Moments later, Parris muscled her way to another second-chance score at 5:04, converting through contact and adding a free throw to extend the advantage to 33–28.

The Jackets continued to pressure the Cardinals into mistakes, forcing nine turnovers in the frame. Jackson capitalized next, stripping the ball near midcourt and finishing in transition at 4:55 to make it 35–28. Young then added back-to-back baskets—including a fast-break layup off a Parris assist at 3:00—to stretch the lead to 37–28, completing a 12–3 WVSU run.

Wheeling trimmed the margin briefly behind interior finishes but State always answered. Parris knocked down a midrange jumper at 1:59, and Young added another score with 1:10 left to keep the Jackets firmly in control at 41–32. Despite a late Wheeling layup, State closed the quarter with stops on its final two defensive possessions to maintain a 41–34 advantage heading to the fourth.

The Yellow Jackets produced 10 points in the paint, nine off turnovers and four in transition during the quarter, shooting 7-of-18 while holding Wheeling to just six made field goals and one three-pointer. Parris, Young, Hickman and Jackson all delivered critical baskets during a dominant period that flipped a tie game into a seven-point WVSU lead.

West Virginia State slammed the door in the fourth quarter with its most efficient offensive frame of the game, shooting a blistering 9-of-11 from the field and running away from Wheeling behind constant pressure, transition scoring and timely perimeter execution.

Young opened the period with a burst to the rim at 9:28, scoring in transition off a Hickman outlet to extend the lead to 43–34. Less than 30 seconds later, Goins pushed the tempo again, finding Hickman sprinting down the floor for another fast-break layup and a double-digit cushion. That early burst set the tone: State generated eight fast-break points in the quarter and 12 in the paint, repeatedly beating Wheeling down the floor.

The Jackets continued to strike in waves. Goins converted a transition layup at 7:50 after a defensive rebound from Parris, and Rogers scored on back-to-back possessions—first a layup at 6:54, then a midrange jumper at 6:18—to push the advantage to 51–37. Jackson widened the gap further with two free throws at 5:50 and followed with a short jumper at 4:39, keeping State firmly in control at 55–42.

Wheeling hit a pair of threes to stay afloat, but State always answered. Hickman continued her strong second half with a layup at 3:51, and Goins knocked down a jumper with 2:56 remaining to maintain a 59–44 edge. Hickman then delivered the dagger at the 1:08 mark, stepping into her second three of the afternoon to make it 62–47 and cap the Jackets' most complete quarter of the game.

Though Wheeling added late free throws and a transition layup, the outcome was never in doubt. State controlled the boards 8–2 in the period, committed just two shooting fouls and closed the game out with poise despite a few late turnovers.

Behind 12 paint points, eight fast-break points and contributions from seven different scorers, the Yellow Jackets sealed their first MEC victory of the season with a dominant 62–51 finish.

West Virginia State continues MEC play on Saturday, Dec. 13, heading to West Liberty for a 5:30 p.m. game at the Academic, Sports and Recreation Complex.