Courtesy of James Garcia, Sports Information Director, West Virginia State Athletics
73
Winner CONC
71
WVSU
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| CONC | 38 | 35 | 73 |
| WVSU | 49 | 22 | 71 |
West Virginia State men’s basketball (1-3, 0-2 MEC) dropped a game to Concord (4-1, 1-1 MEC) by a final score of 73-71 on Tuesday night at the Walker Convocation Center. The Yellow Jackets held the lead for 27 minutes, but lost it late when it mattered most.
Three Yellow Jackets scored in double-digits including Anthony Pittman (17 points), Mahzi Thames(15 points) and Nate Mims (14 points).
State played some of its best basketball all season in the first half. The Yellow Jackets shot 60 percent from the field and caused eight turnovers in the opening 20 minutes.
The Mountain Lions started the contest with an 11-2 run to leave some catching up to do for WVSU. Pittman nearly singlehandedly closed the gap to a point, 13-12, over the next two minutes by scoring 10 points on his own. He completed a three-point play, knocked down two jumpers and hit a trey during the Yellow Jacket surge.
Between the 12-and-a-half and 7-and-a-half minute marks, State shifted the momentum with a 15-2 run. Landry Palata and Thames combined for 10 points to help WVSU to a 10-point lead, 31-21.
The remainder of the first half was played almost evenly. The Mountain Lions connected on a three-pointer in the closing seconds to cut State’s lead to 11 points, 49-38, at halftime.
The second half was a completely different story. The Yellow Jackets shot under 30 percent from the field and only made 1-of-7 shots from behind the arc.
State was able to maintain its lead all the way through to the four-minute mark. Concord scored nine unanswered over a three-and-a-half minute span to go up by one, 68-67.
Neither team was able to make shots down the final stretch. Bunky Browngave WVSU the lead twice when he sank a pair of free throws and made a layup with a layup from CU in between.
The Mountain Lions were sent to the charity stripe with just over a minute to play and made both shots to regain the lead, 72-71. The Yellow Jackets missed a free throw and had a layup blocked at the end of the game. One last free throw attempt was converted by Concord with one second on the clock to give the contest its final score, 73-71.
State will host St. Augustine’s for a 2 p.m. game on Saturday, Nov. 25 next.
Next Game: St. Augustine's University 11/25/2023 | 2:00 PM
Team Statistics
| Game Stats | CONC | WVSU |
|---|---|---|
| FG% | .429 | .453 |
| 3FG% | .308 | .286 |
| FT% | .818 | .600 |
| RB | 47 | 34 |
| TO | 14 | 12 |
| STL | 5 | 11 |
