FAIRMONT, W.Va. – Davis & Elkins shot nearly 63 percent from the field and held on for an 81-78 victory over Fairmont State on Saturday evening at Dan Cava Court inside Joe Rettona Arena.
With the win, Davis & Elkins improves to 3-3 on the year. The Falcons suffered their first loss of the season and move to 2-1 on the year.
Entering the final minute of the second half with the Falcons trailing by six (78-72), Fairmont State went on a 6-0 run over a 17-second stretch to knot the score at 78-78.
Cole VonHandorf started the stretch for the Falcons with a jumper at the 1:00 mark, followed by a pair of free throws by
Kenzie Melko-Marshall and VonHandorf on consecutive possessions.
Following VonHandorf's second free throw, Davis & Elkins inbounded the ball quickly and found Erkam Kiris on the offensive end for a three-point play after he converted on an and-one with 38 seconds remaining in regulation.
On Fairmont's next possession
Dale Bonner and Shem Golek had a chance to tie the game with back-to-back, 3-point attempts but both shots rimmed off and the Senators regained possession on a deadball rebound.
Following a D&E timeout, the Senators turned the ball over on an errand throw-in that allowed the Falcons to regain possession with 18 seconds remaining. The Falcons once again came up empty on the possession when VonHandorf's three rimmed off and the Falcons were forced to foul with six seconds remaining.
D&E's Kiris missed the front end of the one-and-one and VonHandorf had one more chance but his deep, off-balanced 3-point attempt rimmed off, allowing the Senators to wrap up the win.
Fairmont State struggled from the floor in the setback, shooting just 37.5 percent overall and a 5-of-25 performance from behind the arc (20%). The Falcons capitalized on 25-of-32 free throw attempts and also scored 32 points off turnovers and 16 points off offensive rebounds in the setback.
The Falcons got a team-high 24 points from VonHandorf, while Bonner chipped in a career-high 22 points.
Seth Younkin finished just short of a double-double with six points and a team-high 10 rebounds.
Donte Doleman scored a game-high 26 points to lead the Senators in the victory. Kiris also chipped in 22 points, and Myles Monroe added 13 points and a team-high seven boards.
The Senators shot a blistering 62.7 percent from the field (32-of-51) in the second half, including a 12-of-22 performance from behind the arc (54.5%), as the visitors rallied from a six-point halftime deficit.
Saturday's game featured eight ties and 14 lead changes.
The Falcons will return to action on Tuesday evening at West Virginia Wesleyan. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m.
