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WHEELING, W.Va. -- Third-seeded Fairmont State closed out sixth-seeded Glenville State, 77-70, during the quarterfinal round of the 2020 Mountain East Conference Tournament during Friday's afternoon session at WesBanco Arena.
 
With the win, Fairmont State advances to face second-seeded Charleston on Saturday at 8:15 in the semifinals. Charleston advanced with a 71-59 win over West Virginia Wesleyan in Friday's first quarterfinal.
 
Fairmont State (23-6 overall) jumped ahead by double digits, 64-54, at the 8:07 mark of the second half following a turnaround jumper by Dale Bonner to cap a quick 5-0 run by the Falcons.
 
However, following a GSC timeout, the Pioneers scored nine-straight over the next two and half minutes to cut the Fairmont State lead to just one, 64-63, at the 5:26 mark.
 
Isaiah Sanders ended the Pioneer scoring run with a traditional three-point play on the next possession to begin a 13-7 scoring advantage in the final five minutes of play for the Falcons. Following a three by Steven Verplancken on Glenville's next possession, Bonner knocked down a pair of free throws, Ilisia Washington hit a three, and Cole VonHandorf finished strong at the rim to allow Fairmont State to open up an eight-point lead with a 7-0 run with 1:18 remaining.
 
Verplancken hit a three at the 1:05 mark to trim the Fairmont State lead to just five, but that is as close as the Pioneers would get the rest of the way as the Falcons closed out the game on the defensive end and at the free throw line.
 
Fairmont State shot 49 percent from the field and scored 20 points on the fast break to earn the victory on Friday afternoon. In addition, the Falcons limited Glenville State to just 37 percent from the field on the defensive end. The Pioneers did hold a 13-7 advantage in three-point field goals, with the Pioneers hitting 13 of their 40 attempts from deep.
 
Rebounding was nearly even with the Pioneers holding a 39-38 advantage. However, 12 of Glenville's 39 rebounds were on the offensive glass.
 
Dale Bonner, the 2019-20 MEC Freshman of the Year, led the Falcons with 24 points, five rebounds and five assists. Kenzie Melko-Marshall also added 22 points, seven rebounds and three assists for the Falcons. Isaiah Sanders was the third Falcon to reach double-figures with 15 points to go with five steals.
 
Hegel Augustine drained five of Glenville's 3-pointers and finished the game with 23 points to lead the Pioneers. GSC also got 20 points from Steven Verplancken and 16 points and 13 rebounds from Phil Bledsoe.