West Virginia State men's basketball coach Bryan Poore sent his team into the holiday break with one main directive - run, and don't let the layoff rob them of their wind.
"My big challenge to them is conditioning," he said. "It's tough. Hopefully, they'll do it. Fourteen days, you don't run, we're in trouble."
The Yellow Jackets got an idea of how important proper conditioning can be in Sunday's 97-83 loss to Bowie State at the Walker Convocation Center. A short bench led to tired legs, missed shots, fewer rebounds and the Bulldogs' ability to run away with the game in the second half.
With that loss, the Yellow Jackets' fourth in the last five games, the team heads into the holiday break at 4-5 after starting the season 3-1. WVSU is 2-2 in Mountain East Conference play.
Markee Mazcyk led all scorers with 23 points and freshman Frank Webb scored 18 on a flawless shooting day - 3 of 3 from the floor, 2 of 2 from 3-point range and 10 of 10 from the free throw line - but the Yellow Jackets made just 9 of 24 shots as a team in the second half.
WVSU played Sunday's game without three key components - forwards Robert Fomby and Ronald Whaley and guard Keith Harris. Poore said he held them out for disciplinary reasons. Fomby, who started all seven games he's played this year, averages 27.3 minutes per game and is the team's top rebounder (7.0 per game) and second-leading scorer (14.4 points per game). Harris, who has started six of the seven games he's played, averages 7.9 points and 4.9 rebounds in 19.3 minutes per game. Whaley, who started all eight games he's played, averages 6.1 points and 3.9 rebounds.
The Yellow Jackets could have used all three, especially to boost their rebounding. WVSU held a 19-15 advantage on the boards at halftime, but the Bulldogs (6-4) outrebounded the Yellow Jackets 24-11 after the break. That contributed to Bowie's 46-20 advantage with points in the paint and its 19-4 advantage in second-chance points.
"We came out without as much energy in the first half," Webb said. "If we had picked our energy up, it would have been a different outcome. The momentum was on their side, and we were trying to knock down shots, but we were coming up short."
The Yellow Jackets started the game nearly perfect from 3-point range, thanks in part to sophomore Tyrie Elliott's perfect start from the arc. Elliott checked in at the 15:03 mark of the first half and, within three minutes, had made all three of his 3-pointers. WVSU made 6 of its first 7 3-pointers as a team and led by as many as 11 in the first half.
West Virginia State finally cooled off from long-range, making just 1 of its last 4 3-pointers in the half. Meanwhile, Bowie State stayed strong close to the basket, recording 22 points in the paint to pull back within a point by halftime. The Yellow Jackets took a 45-44 lead into the locker room.
The Yellow Jackets stayed cold after the break. After their 6-for-7 start, WVSU made just 3 of its final 16 3-pointers. Elliott missed his last seven attempts. The Bulldogs took advantage of that, dominating underneath, finding paths to the basket and converting a few alley-oops.
"We were hitting front rim," Poore said of the Yellow Jackets' second-half shooting. "When you get tired, that's what happens. The second half, we ran out of gas. We were late on some cuts and shifts in the zone and late on some box-outs and getting to some 50-50 balls."
Awwal Reid added 13 points for West Virginia State. Andre Jackson led Bowie State with 18 points and 13 rebounds, while Julian Livingston added 16 points.
As tough as West Virginia State's slide into the break was, the Yellow Jackets are in a much better position this season than they were last season. WVSU ended last December at 1-10 on its way to a 6-25 finish. Still, finishing with four losses in the last five, especially after a 3-1 start, leaves a bad taste. Poore hopes the players will use that as motivation to train through the break. WVSU tackles two tough MEC opponents on the road right off the bat upon returning - Wheeling Jesuit on Jan. 4 and West Liberty on Jan. 6.
"We've got two tough games coming back," Poore said. "It's a chance for them to take a deep breath and refigure some things, the coaches as well. The big thing is if they'll run. I can't gain those two weeks back in five days, conditioning-wise."