FAIRMONT, W.Va. -- Fairmont State out-scored Mercyhurst 26-9 in the final 11 minutes of the opening half to pull away from the Lakers, 72-53, on Friday night to open the 2014-15 season at the newly-renovated Joe Retton Arena. Chase Morgan knocked down all five of his three-point field goals during that 11-minute stretch for the Falcons.

Both teams shot over 50 percent from the floor, with Mercyhurst knocking down 52 percent of their field goals and Fairmont State shooting 51 percent. However, the Falcons went 11-of-20 from behind the arc while the Lakers managed just 1-of-7.

The Falcons shared the basketball well in the victory, recording 18 assists on 28 made field goal and also limited their turnovers to 13 in the game. FSU also scored 13 points on 10 offensive rebounds and had 36 points off the bench.

Chase Morgan shot 6-of-8 from the field and 5-of-7 from three to record 17 points for Fairmont State. Thomas Wimbush also chipped in 17 points on 7-of-8 from the field and Wil Martinez was the third FSU player to reach double-figures with 11 in the victory. Caleb Davis and Trevor Andrews-Evans each pulled down six boards for the Falcons and Shammgod Wells had a game-high nine assists.

Damon Jones and Paris Bennett each had 12 points to lead the Lakers in scoring. Bennett also added a team-high six rebounds. Mercyhurst held a 34-26 advantage inside the paint.

The Falcons will wrap up the 2014 Joe Retton Classic on Saturday at 8 p.m. against West Chester University. WCU picked up a 73-54 victory over WV Weslayan on Friday evening at Joe Retton Arena.