SALEM, WV – Junior Ignacio Rodriguez scored a game-high 20 points and freshman Josh Carpenter added 19 points as Salem International defeated West Virginia State 81-78 in front of its home crowd at the 35th Annual Joe Manchin Classic on Friday night (Dec. 9) in NCAA men's basketball action.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP: 
Final: Salem Int'l 81, West Virginia State 78
Records: Salem Int'l (1-7), West Virginia State (3-4) 
Location: T. Edward Davis Gym | Salem, West Virginia

HOW IT HAPPENED:

•  First Half
  • Carpenter scored a team-high 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting for the Tigers and hit four three-pointers.
  • Rodriguez scored 10 of his 20 points in the opening-half, hitting three of the four three-pointers that he took.
  • Junior Saquan Epps registered eight points and added a team-high six rebounds for SIU.
  • Tyrie Elliott paced the Yellow Jackets in the first-half with nine points as all of his buckets came from downtown.
  • DeQuan Doyle pulled-down a team-high six rebounds and added seven points for West Virginia State.
  • The Tigers were 16-of-36 from the floor and a scorching 9-of-11 from downtown, while the Yellow Jackets were 14-of-37 from the floor and just 3-of-12 from three-point range.
  • Both teams recorded 21 rebounds with SIU turning the ball over six times and West Virginia State seven times.
  • Salem led 44-32 at the end of the opening stanza.

•  Second Half
  • Rodriguez would lead the Tigers in the second-half with his 10-point performance. He went 3-of-5 from the floor and 3-of-4 at the charity stripe.
  • Senior Victor Blakey scored nine points for SIU in the second-half before fouling-out. He went 4-of-6 from the floor and added four assists.
  • Earnest Jenkins and Jayson Hankins paced the Yellow Jackets offense in the second-half, adding 13 points and 12 points. Jenkins went 3-of-9 from the floor and 5-of-6 at the free-throw line.
  • Mohammed Camara added seven points and seven rebounds for West Virginia State.
  • The Yellow Jackets out-rebounded SIU 17-12 in the second-half. Both teams were secure with the ball, only combining for seven turnovers.
  • West Virginia State looked to claw its way back into the game by going 12-of-13 at the free throw line in the half, while SIU went 6-of-10.
  • The Tigers hit 14 shots and a trio of three's in the half, while the Yellow Jackets hit 15 shots and connected four times from downtown.
  • WVSU out-scored SIU 46-37 in the second-half and had a chance to tie the game as time expired.

 STATS FROM THE GAME:

• Blakey finished with a team-high six assists while recording 11 points for SIU.
• Epps was just short of finishing with back-to-back double-doubles (11 points, eight rebounds)
• Jenkins finished with 17 points, five assists, and five rebounds for WVSU, while Hankins recorded 16 points and four rebounds.
• Camara showed that 11 was his lucky number on the night, tallying 11 points and 11 rebounds.
• Doyle and Elliott both recorded nine points for the Yellow Jackets.
• WVSU out-scored the Tigers 42-30 inside of the paint and 30 points from its bench.
• Salem Int'l received 26 points from its bench.
• SIU finished the game 30-of-69 from the floor and 12-17 from three-point range.
• The Yellow Jackets went 29-of-74 from the floor and 7-of-20 from three-point range.

UP NEXT:

The Tigers will host the University of Charleston (WV) on Saturday night at 7 pm in final match of the Joe Manchin Classic. Live stats, and video will be available for the tournament at www.SIUTigerPride.com.