ELKINS, W.Va. – Charleston Ponds etched his name in Davis & Elkins lore with a dramatic 10-foot fadeaway jumper at the buzzer, securing an 80-79 victory over West Virginia State University at the McDonnell Center on Wednesday night, ending a five-game skid.
Despite an otherwise quiet night, Ponds rose to the occasion when it mattered most. With just seconds remaining and the Senators trailing by one, the senior guard made the inbounds pass, slashed across the lane to post up and back down a defender, and unleashed a contested fadeaway. The shot hit nothing but the bottom of the net to send the Senators' bench into a frenzy with only 1.2 seconds remaining.
D&E (6-9, 3-5 MEC) displayed remarkable resilience despite missing key players Ja'Kobe Strozier, Dontrell Jenkins, Zatai Townsend, and Sam Rolle due to injuries. Additionally, Ron Haas battled early foul trouble, limiting his impact to three points and two rebounds.
"We're going to fight through adversity. We fought through adversity, we gave up a lead late," said Head Coach Daniel Harris. "We played well down the stretch, and they deserve to get one. I'm so proud of Charleston to go hit that shot."
Sophomore Nicolas Silva led the Senators with a team-high 19 points, including three 3-pointers, while adding seven rebounds. Emmanuel Oladeru chipped in 15 points in just 12 minutes of action, and Ben Gilliam contributed 11 points and seven boards. Guard Kerem Sariaslan provided a spark off the bench with 10 points and timely defense. Malachi Hampton contributed seven points and five rebounds in 18 minutes and shot 50% from behind the arc.
The Yellowjackets (6-8, 3-5 MEC) were led by Arthur Cox, who scored 13 points and grabbed four rebounds. West Virginia State's bench added 26 points but could not counter D&E's balanced attack and clutch execution.
Davis & Elkins shot 50% from the field and tallied 18 assists. Despite committing 17 turnovers, the Senators controlled the boards with a 32-23 rebounding advantage, including nine offensive rebounds leading to critical second-chance points.
Up Next
D&E visits the University of Charleston on Saturday, January 18 for a conference matchup tipping off at 7:30 p.m. in Charleston, West Virginia.
