INSTITUTE, W.Va. -- The 21^st-ranked Fairmont State men's basketball team held off a late surge by West Virginia State to pick up an 82-76 victory over the Yellow Jackets on Saturday afternoon in Institute.
 
Fairmont State led by as many as 17 at the 9:58 mark of the second half and did enough down the stretch to hold on for the crucial MEC road victory.
 
With the win, Fairmont State improves to 5-2 on the year. WVSU fell to 6-3 following the loss.
 
With just under a minute remaining in the second half, Fairmont State jumped in front by seven (78-71) after Cole Vonhandorf buried a three from the top of the key. However, Jerimiah Moore scored on a tip-in and Treohn Watkins hit a three on back-to-back State possession to make the Fairmont State lead just two with 34 seconds remaining.
 
From that point, Fairmont State closed out the final half minute by going 4-of-5 from the free throw line and didn't allow WV State to score again, making the final score 82-76.
 
The Falcons shot over 54 percent from the field, including nearly 60 percent in the first 10 minutes of play. Fairmont State also made nine 3-pointers and held a 43-32 advantage on the glass.
 
Dale Bonner led the Falcons in the victory with 24 points, four rebounds and three steals. Seth Younkin recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Both players shot well in the victory with Bonner going 10-of-13 from the field, while Younkin made 6-of-7 field goals attempts. Isaiah Sanders also chipped in 14 points to go with five rebounds and three assists.
 
Jerimiah Moore scored a team-high 23 points and pulled down eight rebounds to lead WV State. Glen Abrams also chipped in 21 points and six assists, while Anthony Pittman notched a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
 
West Virginia State shot just 43 percent from the field, including a 7-of-23 performance from behind the arc (30.4%).
 
Fairmont State will return to action in just 48 hours with a home matchup against Concord University on Monday evening. Tip is set for 6 p.m.