FAIRMONT, W.Va. – The Fairmont State men's basketball team posted two double-digit victories in the Joe Retton Classic this weekend over Edinboro and Salem inside Joe Retton Arena.
Six different Falcons reached double figures in Friday (Nov. 11) night's game versus Edinboro.
George Mangas led the charge with 18 points, while
Isaiah Sanders tallied 17 points.
Fonz Hale passed four assists and dropped 11 points.
The Fighting Falcons led wire-to-wire, and FSU went on an 8-0 scoring run that padded a 25-13 advantage midway through the first half. A pair of
Tariq Woody layups and two free throws from both
Zyon Dobbs and
Tommy Williams pushed the Fairmont State lead to 15 points. The Fighting Scots trimmed the FSU cushion to 10 points at the six-minute mark. The Fighting Falcons closed out the first half with a strong 16-6 scoring run and led by 26 points at intermission.
Sanders drilled a triple to kick off the second half. After five-straight points from Edinboro,
Seth Younkin rattled home a dunk to end the Fighting Scots' run. A fast break layup from
David Jolinder increased the Fairmont State lead to 30 points with just under 17 minutes remaining. Edinboro cut into the lead and trailed by 19 points halfway through the second half.
Tommy Williams forced a steal and finished on the other end to give the Falcons their biggest lead of the contest, a 31-point margin. The Falcons earned a 101-70 victory over Edinboro.
Saturday night's game featured a sensational performance by Sanders, who sank six three-point baskets. The Sicklerville, N.J. native scored 24 points in 23 minutes of game time. Woody (12 points), Hale (11 points) and
Briggs Parris (11 points) all reached double figures. Mangas was one point shy of a double-double with 12 rebounds and nine points.
The Falcons dominated the game from the start and jumped out to a 26-15 lead after Jolinder nailed a three with 10:09 left in the first half. Fairmont State closed out the half with a 5-0 run and held a 55-30 lead at the break. The Falcons shot 52.3 percent from the field in the first half and sank six triples.
Fairmont State would go on to lead by as many as 29 in the second half. Salem cut the deficit to 21 points, but that was as close as the Tigers would get the remainder of the contest.
Fairmont State begins its Mountain East Conference slate on Saturday (Nov. 19) at Davis & Elkins. The Fighting Falcons and the Senators will square off at 4 p.m. inside the McDonnell center in Elkins, W.Va.
