— Story by Taylor Kennedy
WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. — Three West Virginia State players scored in double figures in a 100-96 win at No. 9 West Liberty. Jeremiah Moore and Anthony Pittman combined for 54 points. The victory gave West Virginia State its sixth straight win.
“Two very good college basketball teams. I thought it was a great game. I felt that West Liberty had us on our heels in the beginning having a double-digit lead. We fought back. We got a couple runouts off their misses and took control of the game in the second half. Once we got that confidence, our guys kept that confidence the rest of the game,” said Yellow Jackets head coach Bryan Poore.
Midway through the first half, West Liberty jumped out to a 15-4 run, which gave them a 14-point lead with less than five minutes remaining in the first half. West Virginia State (6-1) would respond finishing the half on a 12-6 run. The Hilltoppers went into the break leading by eight 45-37.
Heading into the locker room, the Yellow Jackets still kept a positive mindset. Poore said that he told his team that they needed to clean-up their play to get back into the game.
“We finished the game with 20 turnovers, which means we had six in the second half. What we had as our game plan defensively was doing ok, and we were rebounding. When you play West Liberty you have to rebond with them,” said Poore.
Along with coaches’ halftime adjustments, sophomore forward Anthony Pittman knew that the game was not going to turn after one shot, but rather it would be a process.
“It had to be step-by-step. One shot is not going to put us back into the game. Give West Liberty credit, they are a great team and have been. We kept chopping at the lead, and we knew that if we got it to under ten going into half then we would be solid,” said Pittman.
West Liberty came into Wednesday night’s game as the top scoring offense in the Mountain East Conference, averaging 107 points in five games. West Virginia State held the Hilltoppers to their second lowest point total this season. Poore thinks that his team did a great job taking West Liberty out of their game.
“We slowed it down a little offensively. We just tried to keep switching. Once they get into a rhythm, they are dangerous. You gotta try and keep them guessing where their shots are going to come from. Against our zone, they were doing a good job attacking the high post. Once they did that, we were switching into man and mixing up our looks. We were just trying to keep them off rhythm,” said Poore.
Pittman, a former Capital High School standout, led the Yellow Jackets in scoring with 28 points, including 20 points in the second half. He also recorded 12 rebounds for his sixth double-double this season. Poore has been pleased with how his sophomore forward has played in the team’s first seven games.
“He is so versatile. Tonight, he played every position on the court, and he does that just about every game. I will play him in the post some, and even some at the point, which he starts at. He is such a competitor, but he is really a cerebral player. He understands the game,” said Poore. “Pitt thinks, analyzes, and adjusts. Find me a better athlete, I am not sure you can. Not in this league. He is crazy. Quick first step, he can handle the ball, elbows above the rim, and makes free throws. That is a hard guy to handle,” said Poore.
West Virginia State also saw junior Jeremiah Moore tally 26 points along with a season-high 14 rebounds for his second double-double this year. Heading into Wednesday’s game, Moore had not practiced all week.
“He wore a boot all week. He did not even practice. He did not play in our last game. He has kind of a turf toe kind of injury. Our trainer thought he should not play tonight, but Jerry wanted to play. I told him that as long as he felt good in warmups then we would give him a shot. I told him I was going to spurt his minutes, but he never came off the floor,” said Poore. “Jerry is Jerry.”
Heading back into the locker room, Pittman gave his teammates high fives and kept the energy alive. He knew that when his team was down he had to be the energizer bunny for his squad.
“That is just the kind of player I am. I am always energized. I just love the game. I know if I am giving 100% then I know my team is going to be right there with me. I know they are going to come and give 110% and keep pushing me. We just want to go hoop. That is just us,” said Pittman.
On the flip side, West Liberty head basketball coach Ben Howlett was not pleased with Wednesday night’s performance but remains optimistic.
“We are struggling as a team right now. I do not think we are a good basketball team right now. It is up to me to get this back on the right track. Right now, we are not on the right track. We have the potential to be a really good team, and we showed that last year, but right now we are not. It is my job to fix it,” said Howlett.
West Virginia State will head back home on Saturday for a matchup against Wheeling University. West Liberty will hit the road and head down to the capital city and play Charleston.