PORTSMOUTH, Ohio — WVU Tech men's basketball opened River States Conference (RSC) play on the road Wednesday night, battling back from a 15-point second half deficit before falling 70-63 to Shawnee State at Waller Gymnasium.
Shawnee State (8-3, 1-0 RSC) controlled the early stretches, using a 10-2 start and timely perimeter shooting to build a 33-25 halftime advantage. WVU Tech never led in the opening period but stayed within striking distance behind six points from Jackson Tackett, six from Ian Goings and a late three by Adam Seams that trimmed the margin back to single digits going into the locker room.
The Bears threatened to break the game open early in the second half. A series of run-out baskets and paint touches pushed the lead to 44-29 with 13:21 remaining, Shawnee's largest cushion of the night. WVU Tech (3-7, 0-1 RSC) answered with one of its better offensive stretches of the young season, stringing together multiple scores and getting to the foul line to steadily chip away.
Brandon Moore sparked the push with back-to-back drives and a three on the same possession sequence, pulling Tech within 48-40 with just over 10 minutes left. Roman Kellum scored inside, Seams buried a wing three, and Tackett converted at the stripe as the Golden Bears continued to close the gap. A Goings three from the top of the key cut it to 58-51, and later buckets from Tackett and Trayten Woods helped bring the margin down to six at 61-55 and again at 63-57.
Tackett scored through contact in the lane and Chapman followed with a three from the left side to make it 67-61 with just over a minute to play. After a Shawnee free throw, Tackett hit two at the line to bring Tech within 68-63 with 27 seconds to go, giving the Golden Bears a late chance to turn it into a one-possession game. Shawnee answered with enough free throws and a transition dunk in the final seconds to keep Tech at arm's length and close out its sixth straight win.
Tackett turned in a strong all-around night with a team-high 16 points on 4-for-7 shooting, including 1-for-2 from three and 7-for-9 at the line, adding four rebounds. Goings logged the full 40 minutes and posted an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double, grabbing all 10 boards on the defensive glass.
Moore finished with eight points, five rebounds and a team-high three steals to go with three assists. Woods supplied 11 points off the bench, knocking down three threes and handing out three assists, while Seams added eight points and two steals in 22 minutes. Chapman contributed seven points, two assists and two rebounds, and Kellum chipped in two points and two boards.
As a team, WVU Tech shot 48.9 percent from the field, 47.4 percent from three (9-for-19) and 66.7 percent at the foul line. The Golden Bears won the rebounding battle 27-26 and outscored the Bears 38-37 after halftime, but Shawnee State's 20-2 advantage in points off turnovers and 36-18 edge in points in the paint proved to be the difference.
Shawnee State shot 51.8 percent from the floor and 38.9 percent from distance. Jareon Mayo led the Bears with 14 points, Kiante Williams and Tyreon Payne each scored 13 and 10 points respectively while combining for 10 rebounds, and guard Rhyece DeBoard added nine points and four boards.
📊 Season Totals (through Dec. 10)
Record: 3-7 overall, 0-1 RSC
Team Averages
- Points per game: 78.0
- Rebounds per game: 36.2
- Assists per game: 14.9
- Field Goal %: 47.7
- Three-Point %: 35.0
- Free Throw %: 71.6
Team Leaders
🗓 What's Next
WVU Tech returns home to Van Meter Gym on Saturday, December 13, hosting Virginia University of Lynchburg in non-conference play before resuming its River States Conference schedule.
