Box Score
INSTITUTE, W.Va. – Senior guard Brantley Osborne (Sunbury, Pa/Shikellamy) scored a game-high 30 points and senior forward Kevin Jones (Washington, DC/IUP) aaded 20 points and 11 rebounds to lead Shepherd University to an 89-83 win over West Virgnia State in MEC men's basketball action at West Virginia State on Thursday night. The win was the fifth straight for the Rams.
Osborne hit on 10-of-13 field goals with a 4-of-6 effort from three-point range. He hit on 6-of-6 free throws. Jones was 8-of-16 from the floor with a 4-of-5 performance from the foul line.
Anton Hutchins had 24 points and Dominic Phillips added 18 to lead the Yellow Jackets.
Shepherd shot 43.7 percent (31-71) from the floor with a 37.5 percent (6-16) effort from three-point range. The Rams hit on 21-of-27 free throws (77.8 percent).
West Virginia State shot 42.5 percent (34-80) from the floor with a 3-of-14 effort (21.4 percent) from beyond the arc. The Yellow Jackets hit on 12-of-15 free throws (80 percent).
State had a 47-45 advantage on the boards. The Rams forced 15 turnovers, while committing 11.
Shepherd closed out the first half on a 6-0 run to take a 47-46 lead into the break.
The Rams took the lead for good in the second half at 72-71 on a jumper by Pilgrim with 7:00 to play. State got to within three points at 85-82 with 20 seconds remaining, but Shepherd hit 4-of-4 free throws down the stretch to capture the win.
Shepherd improves to 6-1, 3-0 in MEC play, while West Virginia State drops to 1-3, 0-3. The Rams return to action on Sunday when they host Charleston for a 4 p.m. game.
