SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va.  – Gus Stone scored 26 points and Ernest Jenkins added 22 to lead West Virginia State (2-1, 1-0 MEC) to an 88-80 win over Shepherd University (3-1, 0-1 MEC) in MEC men's basketball action at the Butcher Center on Saturday.

Stone connected on 9-of-17 shots with a 5-of-10 effort from three-point range. He was 3-of-3 from the line. Jenkins hit on 6-of-11 field goals with a 3-of-6 effort from beyond the arc. He was 7-of-7 from the charity stripe.

Freshman guard Jon Preston (Brandywine, Md./Rock Creek Christian) led the Rams with 17 points. Junior guard Thomas Lang (New Market, Md./Linganore) added 16 points,  while senior forward Winston Burgess (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) had 13 points and eight rebounds.

Senior guard Derek McKnight (Teaneck, NJ/Gaston (N.C.) Day School/Louisburg CC) added 13 points and sophomore guard Cam Stephens (Bunker Hill, W.Va./Musselman) contributed 12 points, five rebounds, and four assists off the bench.

Glen Abram added 14 points for the Yellow Jackets.

The Rams trailed by as many as 12 points midway through the second half, but rallied to within five points at 80-75 after a dunk by Burgess with 2:01 remaining. State drained 6-of-6 free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

Shepherd connected on 42.6 percent (29-61) from the floor with a 39.3 percent (11-28) performance from beyond the arc for the game. The Rams hit on 81 percent (17-21) of their free throws.

West Virginia State shot 49.2 percent (30-61) from the floor with a 43.3 percent effort (13-30) from three-point range. The Yellow Jackets shot 88.2 percent (15-17) from the charity stripe.

State had a 37-33 advantage in rebounding. The Rams forced 12 turnovers and committed 11.

The Rams return to action on Monday when they host Charleston at 7:30 p.m.