WHEELING, W.Va. –  Senior guard Kayla Tibbs (Leesburg, Va./Heritage/Glenville State) scored a career and game-high  43 points, but West Virginia State held on for an 87-86 win over Shepherd in first round action of the MEC Women's Basketball Tournament at WesBanco Arena on Wednesday afternoon.

Tibbs connected on 17-of-31 field goals with a 5-of-10 effort from three-point range. She was 4-of-6 from the foul line. Additionally, Tibbs' 43 points broke the Shepherd single-game scoring mark of 40 set by Morgan Arden against Concord on Jan. 4, 2018.

Sophomore guard Marley McLaughlin (Haymarket, Va./Battlefield) added 12 points. Senior guard Kari Lankford (York, Pa./West  York Area) added seven points and game highs of 10 assists and eight boards. Senior forward Liz Moormann (New Market, Md./Oakdale) added seven points and seven rebounds.

West Virginia State connected on a 10 three-pointers in the first half to take a 48-38 lead at the break.

The Yellow Jackets led by as many as 20 points in the third quarter.

Trailing 82-71 with 5:28 left in the game, the Rams used a 10-2 run to close to within three points at 84-81 after a three-pointer by junior guard Lauren Reed (Winchester, Va./Millbrook) with 2:31 remaining. State hit 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch, while Tibbs hit a jumper and a three-pointer for the Rams to account for the one-point margin.

Shepherd shot 42.5 percent (34-80) from the floor with a 33.3 percent effort (7-21) from three-point range for the game. The Rams connected on 57.9 percent (12-17) of their free throws.

West Virginia State hit on 39.5 percent (30-76) from the floor with a 36.4 percent (16-44) performance from beyond the arc. The Yellow Jackets connected on 73.3 percent (11-15) of their free throws.

West Virginia State had a 52-46 edge in rebounding. The Rams forced 19 turnovers and committed 14.

The eighth-seeded Rams complete their season at 11-18. West Virginia State (8-21) advances to the Mountain East Conference Tournament quarterfinal action on Thursday to face top-seeded at 6 p.m.at WesBanco Arena.

Notes: Tibbs finished her career with 1,143 points to rank 12th on the Shepherd all-time scoring list … her 167 career three-pointers rank her first, while her 82 three-pointers on the season also set a Shepherd mark … Tibbs' 17 field goals tie the Shepherd single-game mark set by Sherry Price against Concord on Nov. 22, 1985 … she also led the Rams in scoring this season with a 17.7 mark …  Lankford set a single-season record for most assists with 211, surpassing the old mark of 182 set by Cara Mason in 2016-17 … Lankford's 456 career assists rank her fourth, while her 706 career rebounds place her ninth … Lankford has 197 career steals to rank fifth on the SU all-time list.

Postgame Press Conference