INSTITUTE, W.Va. –  Junior forward Ryan McTavish (Mt. Airy, Md./South Carroll/Presbyterian) scored a team and career-high 24 points to lead Shepherd University to a 73-68 win over West Virginia State in MEC men's basketball action at West Virginia State on Saturday.

McTavish hit on 8-of-14 field goals with a 4-of-6 effort from three-point range. He was 4-of-4 from the charity stripe. McTavish added four rebounds.

Senior forward Morgan McDonald (Inwood, W.Va./Musselman) added 21 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.

Senior guard Austin Cunningham (Vincent, Ohio/Warren Local/Ohio Valley) handed out a game-high nine assists to go along with four points. Freshman forward Gavin McTavish (Mt. Airy, Md./South Carroll/Bridgton Academy) contributed six points and six boards.

Markee Mazyck scored a game-high 29 points, while Damion Harris added seven points and a game high 11 rebounds to pace the Yellow Jackets.

Shepherd took a 32-31 lead into halftime.

The Rams led by no more than six points in the second half. State rallied late in the game to get to within a point at 69-68 after a pair of free throws by Mazyck with 21 seconds left in regulation. Gavin McTavish hit 4-of-4 free throws in the game's final seconds to seal the victory for the Rams.

Shepherd hit on 27-of-62 field goals (43.5 percent) with a 6-of-16 (37.5 percent) effort from three-point range for the game. The Rams connected on 13-of-16 free throws (81.3 percent).

West Virginia State connected on 22-of-52 field goals (42.3 percent) with a 6-of-15 effort (40 percent) from beyond the arc. The Yellow Jackets were 18-of-25 from the foul line (72 percent).

The Yellow Jackets had a 36-34 edge on the boards. The Rams forced 12 turnovers and committed just nine.

Shepherd improves to 11-7, 6-6 in MEC play, while West Virginia State drops to 3-16, 3-8. The Rams return to action on Thursday when they host University of Charleston for a 7:30 p.m. contest.