Men's basketball Falls, 83-76, at #10 West Virginia State

11/20/2007

Junior forward Marcus Tullis (Johnstown, Pa.) scored 19 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, but the Mountain Cat basketball team was unable to upset #10-ranked West Virginia State University. The Yellow Jackets dealt Pitt Johnstown an 83-76 non-conference road loss, Tuesday night. Head Coach Bob Rukavina's team is now 1-1.
West Virginia State ran out to a 27-13 lead with 11:16 to play in the first half. The Mountain Cats answered to cut the lead to 38-34 at halftime. However, that was as close as Pitt Johnstown would get. The Yellow Jackets match their 14-point lead with 6:05 to play, before going on to the seven-point win.
Tullis, whose 19 points led four Pitt Johnstown players who scored in double-figures, finished 9-12 shooting from the field and 1-1 from the free-throw line. Senior forward Chris Gilliam (Baltimore, MD) added 16 points (6-11 FG's, 4-5 FT's) and eight rebounds, while junior guard Quinton Davis (Pittsburgh, Pa.) scored 15 points and pulled down five rebounds. Coach Rukavina also got 11 points, two rebounds and three assists from senior guard Rashad Mintz (Washington, D.C.) and four points, five rebounds and four assists from junior guard William Sharpe (Johnstown, Pa.).
The Mountain Cats shot 47.5% (29-61) and 12-15 (80.0%) from the free-throw line, but struggled from three-point range, connecting on just 6-22 (27.3%). The Yellow Jackets were held to just 44.6% (29-65) shooting from the field. However, West Virginia State made 15 of its 33 three-point attempts and 10 of its 15 free-throws. The Yellow Jackets also out rebounded Pitt Johnstown, 43-32, and held a 17-8 advantage on the offensive glass.
Wade Pidock's game-highs of 22 points and 12 rebounds paced West Virginia State. Jason Slay and James Helton scored 15 and 10 points, respectively, while Charles Hensley chipped in nine points and 10 rebounds to help the Yellow Jackets improve to 1-2.
The Mountain Cats will break for the Thanksgiving holiday, before opening their first ever WVIAC conference schedule against Ohio Valley (WV) University on Monday, November 26 at 7:30 p.m. in the Sports Center.

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