FAIRMONT, W.Va. – Fairmont State outscored West Liberty 11-3 in the final 2:26 of Sunday afternoon's NCAA Division II Showcase Game, to knock-off the No. 1-ranked Hilltoppers, 86-81, at Joe Retton Arena.
 
With the win, the No. 11-ranked Falcons improve to 7-0 overall and 4-0 in Mountain East Conference play, claiming wins over two national ranked teams this week. The Falcons also defeated No. 4 Wheeling Jesuit on Wednesday afternoon in overtime, 95-92, on the road.
 
West Liberty suffered its first loss of the season and is now 7-1 overall and 3-1 in MEC games.
 
Following Brandon Smith's three at the 2:26 mark to put the 'Toppers up by three (78-75), Matt Bingaya scored five-straight points, including a huge three on the ensuing possession to give the Falcons the lead for good.
 
Trevor Andrews-Evans put the Falcons up by two possessions with 23-seconds remaining when he pulled down an offensive rebound and put it back in to push the FSU lead to 82-78.  However, just five seconds later, David Dennis responded for the Hilltoppers with a three to cut the lead back to one (82-81) with 18 ticks remaining.
 
After a quick WLU foul to put Shammgod Wells at the line, Wells made the front end before missing the second and grabbing his own offensive rebound, forcing another Hilltopper foul with 13 seconds remaining to play.
 
This time, Wells made both attempts, to put FSU back up by four, and then intercepted Dennis' inbounds pass with 10 seconds left to all but wrap up the FSU win. Wells hit 1-of-2 from the line to push the final score of the game to 86-81.
 
The game was tied nine times and had eight lead changes as both teams struggled to shoot a high percentage from the field against aggressive defense on both ends of the floor. Both teams shot 43 percent from the field on the afternoon.
 
The Falcons also played with much more control in the second half of the game, turning the ball over just twice in the second half after 12 first-half turnovers. In addition, Fairmont State held a 47-38 advantage on the glass.
 
Bingaya recorded his second-straight 20-point performance to lead the Falcons with 24 points and eight rebounds. FSU also got 13 points from Jason Jolly, 12 from Thomas Wimbush and 10 from Wells in the victory. Andrews-Evans was also a field goal away from a double-double with eight points and a team-high 12 rebounds.
 
West Liberty got a game-high 32 points from Dan Monteroso and 16 from Dennis in the losing effort.
 
The Falcons will now prepare for a non-conference matchup with Davis & Elkins on Thursday evening. Tip is set for 7 p.m. at Joe Retton Arena.