Box Score SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. – Dominic Phillips had game-highs of 24 points and seven assists to lead West Virginia State to a 73-66 win over Shepherd University in MEC men's basketball action at the Butcher Center on Thursday night.

Senior forward Morgan McDonald  (Inwood, W.Va./Musselman) led the Rams with 23 points and seven rebounds. Senior guard Austin Cunningham (Vincent, Ohio/Warren Local/Ohio Valley) had 15 points and four assists.

Freshman guard Skyler Roman Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg) tossed in 11 points, while freshman forward Gavin McTavish (Mt. Airy, Md./South Carroll/Bridgton Academy) added six points and grabbed  eight rebounds.

Devan Delaney had 13 points and tied McTavish for game-high rebounding honors with eight boards for the Yellow Jackets.

State shot over 50 percent from the floor in the first half en route to a 43-30 halftime lead.

Shepherd rallied in the second half to tie the game at 63-63 after a layup by Roman with 2:41 remaining.

Dimitrios Jelen-Joy hit a three-pointer with 2:27 to put State ahead for good. The Rams cut the lead to two at 67-65 after a Cunningham layup with 2:08 left, but would get no closer.

Shepherd hit on 22-of-67 field goals (32.8 percent) with a 5-of-28 (17.9 percent) effort from three-point range. The Rams hit on 17-of-26 free throws (65.4 percent).

West Virginia State connected on 27-of-59 field goals (45.8 percent) with a 6-of-16 effort from beyond the arc (37.5 percent). The Yellow Jackets were 13-of-18  from the foul line (70 percent).

State had a 45-39 edge in rebounding. The Rams forced 18 turnovers and committed 11.

Shepherd falls to 4-2, 1-2 in MEC play, while West Virginia State improves to 1-5, 1-1. The Rams return to action on Saturday when they travel to Charleston for a 4 p.m. contest.