WHEELING, W.Va. -- Isaiah Sanders matched his career-high with 31 points to lead Fairmont State to a Mountain East Conference semifinal victory over 12^th-ranked Charleston, 84-69, on Saturday evening at WesBanco Arena. The win snapped Charleston's 14-game winning streak that dated back to Jan. 10, 2021.
 
Sanders scored 23 of his points in the opening half as Fairmont State took a 35-29 lead into the locker room at halftime. Sanders also tied the Mountain East Conference single-game tournament record for steals with six in the victory.
 
With the win, Fairmont State advances to Sunday's MEC Championship Game against the winner of the 8 p.m. semifinal between West Liberty and Glenville State. Sunday's championship game is slated for a 4:30 p.m. tipoff at WesBanco Arena.
 
The Fairmont State men's basketball program will make its third appearance in the MEC Championships Game, falling in its first two appearances in 2014-15 (L, 58-65 vs. Glenville State) and 2016-17 (L, 65-67 vs. West Liberty). The Falcons last won a conference tournament championship back in 1984, a 63-57 win over WVU-Tech as a member of the WVIAC.
 
With a tie score at the 4:53 mark of the opening half, Fairmont State went on a 9-0 run and outscored UC 10-4 to end the half. Sanders and Dobbs keyed the stretch for the Falcons with five and four points, respectively.
 
Early in the second half following a jumper by Charleston's Isaiah Gamble at the 19:16 mark, Fairmont State responded with a 15-4 run over a five-minute stretch to grab a 14-point lead (50-36) with 14:38 left. Cole VonHandorf scored the first eight points of the stretch to spark the run.
 
Later in the half following a three by Charleston's Seth O'Neal to close Fairmont's advantage to just eight points (62-54), the Falcons used an 11-2 scoring run to take complete control of the game with a 17-point lead with 5:16 to play. This time, Dale Bonner scored all 11 Fairmont State points during the stretch.
 
Charleston would get back within 13 with 2:36 to play following back-to-back baskets from O'Neal, but Fairmont State quickly answered with a layup by Seth Younkin and a jumper by Bonner to jump in front by an 84-67 advantage with just over a minute remaining.
 
UC added one more basket with just :12 seconds remaining to make the final score 84-69 in favor of Fairmont State.
 
Both teams shot 46 percent from the field in the game, with UC holding a 10-9 advantage in made 3-point field goals. Fairmont State outrebounded UC, 37-31, in the win. The Falcons also capitalized from the free throw line, burying 17-of-18 attempts from the charity stripe.
 
The Falcons also created offense on the defensive end, forcing 14 UC turnovers and scoring 23 points off turnovers in the victory.
 
In addition to 31 points from Sanders, the Falcons also got 22 points from Bonner and 15 from VonHandorf. Bonner scored 14 of his points in the second half, while VonHandorf scored all 15 of his points in the final 20 minutes of play. Zyon Dobbs came off the bench to finish with eight points and a team-high eight rebounds.
 
Keith Williams led four double-figure scorers for UC with 18 points in the losing effort. O'Neal also chipped in 17 and Lamont McManus scored 13 points to go with six rebounds.