FAIRMONT, W.Va. -- Top-seeded and No. 3-ranked Fairmont State held off a second half surge by sixth-seeded Wheeling Jesuit to punch its ticket to the 2017 NCAA Division II Elite Eight in Sioux Falls, S.D. from March 22-25.
 
With the win, FSU has also tied a program record for wins in a single season, with a 32-2 mark heading into the Elite Eight.
 
Thomas Wimbush scored a team-high 26 points and pulled down six rebounds in the win. Wimbush went 8-of-15 from the field and 6-of-12 from three. Matt Bingaya was the only other Falcons to reach double-figures with 23 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Bingaya went 8-of-12 from the field.
 
Point guards Shammgod Wells (6) and Jason Jolly (4) combined for 10 assists and no turnovers in the victory.
 
Wheeling Jesuit outshot Fairmont State, 46.9-43.9, but the Falcons drained 11 threes compared to just five for the Cardinals.
 
After WJU cut what was a 17-point Fairmont State lead (54-37) at the 17:07 mark of the second half, to just five points (65-60) at 5:43 mark, Bingaya went 3-for-4 from the line on back-to-back possessions and Vonte Montgomery and Wimbush nailed triples to lead a 9-0 run that helped Fairmont State fend off Wheeling's comeback bid.
 
Late in the second half, Wheeling closed Fairmont's lead to just four with seven seconds to play but time ran out and the Falcons wrapped up the 86-80 win in the closing seconds.
 
The Cardinals placed four players in double-figures, led by Pat Moseh with 18 points, four rebounds and five assists. Kyle Ritz also recorded a double-double for Wheeling Jesuit with 15 points and 10 boards. Preston Boswell (13) and Jarin Hilson (12) rounded out the Cardinals in double figures.
 
In addition to outshooting the Falcons, the Cards also held a double-digit rebounding margin (43-33). However, Wheeling turned the ball over 13 times, which turned into 19 points on the opposite end.
 
Fairmont State will find out its Elite Eight matchup on Wednesday evening, following the completion of the East Regional final, which was delayed this evening due to snow in Syracuse, N.Y. The final eight times will be reseeded to make up the 2017 Elite Eight bracket.
 
Seven teams have already punched their ticket to Sioux Falls, including Fairmont State, Northwest Missouri State, Bellarmine, Rollins, Lincoln Memorial, Colorado Mines and Chico State.

2017 Atlantic Regional All-Tournament Team
Matt Bingaya (Fairmont State) - MOP
Thomas Wimbush (Fairmont State)
Haywood Highsmith (Wheeling Jesuit)
Pat Moseh (Wheeling Jesuit)
Dustin Sleva (Shippensburg)