INSTITUTE, W.Va. – Junior guard Thomas Lang (New Market, Md./Linganore) scored 25 points and senior guard Derek McKnight (Teaneck, N.J./Gaston (N.C.) Day School/Louisburg CC) added 23 to lead Shepherd University (13-12, 9-10 MEC) to an 87-86 win over West Virginia State (12-13, 9-10 MEC) in MEC men's basketball action at West Virginia State on Thursday night.
Lang hit on 6-of-13 field goals with a 4-of-9 effort from three-point range. He drained 9-of-9 free throws. McKnight connected on 8-of-15 field goals with a 2-of-4 effort from beyond the arc. He was 5-of-9 from the foul line. Lang, McKnight, and sophomore guard Jarrell Jones (Martinsburg, W.Va./Martinsburg/Alderson Broaddus) each handed out a team-high three assists.
Senior forward Winston Burgess (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) added 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Cam Stephens (Bunker Hill, W.Va./Musselman) contributed eight points and four boards.
Ernest Jenkins had a game-high 27 points for West Virginia State. Gus Stone added 16 points, while Isaiah Noel added 15 points and 13 rebounds.
Shepherd had a 42-35 lead at halftime as McKnight (13) and Lang (9) combined for 22 first-half points.
The Rams hit 7-of-8 free throws in the game's final minute to help capture the win. The Rams led by nine at 86-77 after a pair of free throws by Lang with 21 seconds remaining. McKnight hit 1-of-2 free throws and State got three-pointers from Noel, Frank Agyemang, and Jenkins in the final seconds to make it a one-point win for the Rams.
Shepherd connected on 49.1 percent (27-55) from the floor with a 40.9 percent (9-22) performance from beyond the arc for the game. The Rams hit on 70.6 percent (24-34) of their free throws.
West Virginia State shot 45.7 percent (32-70) from the floor with a 42.3 percent effort (11-26) from three-point range. The Yellow Jackets shot 68.8 percent (11-16) from the charity stripe.
State had a 42-35 advantage on the boards. The Rams forced seven turnovers and committed six.
The Rams return to action on Saturday when they travel to Charleston for a 4 p.m. game.
