boxscore
(CHARLESTON, W.Va.)---A 20-0 explosion during a 3:48 stretch of the second half erased a 17-point Pitt Johnstown advantage and West Virginia State went on to an 86-74 WVIAC Tournament quarterfinal victory.
Josh Miller sparked the Yellow Jackets with 26 points and 4 assists. Darren Jones added 19 for WVSU.
Pitt Johnstown controlled the tempo in the opening half. The Mountain Cats assumed the lead at 10-9 on a Danny Branch layup and eventually stretched the advantage to double figures at the half after Jordan Miller canned a three-pointer as time expired.
UPJ picked up where they left off to start the second stanza. Nick Novak's long ball at the 14:49 mark gave the Mountain Cats a 55-38 edge.
That's when State unleashed the run that allowed the Jackets to take control of the contest. WVSU took their first lead since early in the contest when Jason Emerson nailed a trifecta for a 58-55 Jacket lead with 11:01 left.
The lead changed hands twice more before an 11-0 spurt put State in command with a 71-61 margin with 6:19 to play. WVSU grabbed the lead for good at 62-61 on Justin Banks' three-point play.
"We're not so good when we play someone else's style," said West Virginia State head coach Bryan Poore. "But, this team never thinks it's over. Even if we're down by 30."
Branch and Novak topped the scoring chart for UPJ with 19 points each. Patrick Grubbs tallied 11 and grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds. Steve Heidenthal recorded 10.
Bo King reached double figures for State with 13 points. Banks recorded 11. Fred Harris pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds and swatted away three shots.
West Virginia State faces Alderson-Broaddus in Friday's 6:30 p.m. semifinal round. The teams split two regular season meetings this season.
2010 WVIAC Men's Basketball Tournament
March 2-6
Tuesday, March 2 (first round---campus sites)
G1: #3 Alderson-Broaddus 87, #14 Ohio Valley 72
G2: #11 West Virginia Wesleyan 84, #6 Wheeling Jesuit 77
G3: #7 Pitt Johnstown 83, #10 Shepherd 69
G4: #2 West Virginia State 109, #15 Bluefield State 59
G5: #8 Seton Hill 91, #9 Davis & Elkins 74
G6: #4 Fairmont State 93, #13 Concord 68
G7: #5 Charleston 93, #12 Glenville State 69
Thursday, March 4 (quarterfinals---Charleston Civic Center)
G8: Alderson-Broaddus 82, West Virginia Wesleyan 69
G9: West Virginia State 86, Pitt Johnstown 74
G10: #1 West Liberty (25-1) vs. Seton Hill (14-14) 6:30 p.m.
G11: Fairmont State (22-6) vs. Charleston (18-10) 8:30 p.m.
Friday, March 5 (semifinals---Charleston Civic Center)
G12: Alderson-Broaddus (24-5) vs. West Virginia State (26-3) 6:30 p.m.
G13: Winner G10 vs. Winner G11 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 6 (championship---Charleston Civic Center)
G14: Winner G12 vs. Winner G13 8:30 p.m.