ELKINS, W.Va. – The No. 18 Fairmont State Fighting Falcons (3-0, 1-0 Mountain East Conference) earned a 93-81 win over Davis & Elkins (3-1, 0-1 MEC) in the first conference matchup of the season on Saturday (Nov. 19) evening at the McDonnell Center.
 
Isaiah Sanders notched his first double-double of the season, scoring a game-high 24 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Sanders has recorded four double-doubles during his Fairmont State career. Fonz Hale was one assist shy of a double-double, recording 18 points and nine assists in his third game with Fairmont State.
 
"I was pleased with how we rebounded the basketball tonight," said Fairmont State head coach Tim Koenig. "Any win is a great win."
 
The Falcons outrebounded the Senators by seven boards, including 11 rebounds generated from the offensive end. Sanders hustled to grab nine rebounds on the defensive glass and led FSU in the rebounding category.
 
The Falcons ripped off seven-straight points early in the first half, which was capped off by a Tariq Woody layup that put FSU up 13-5. D&E held the Falcons scoreless for over two minutes of game time and gained a two-point lead with 11:26 remaining in the half. 
 
Sanders kickstarted Fairmont State's largest scoring run of the game with a second-chance three-pointer that reclaimed the FSU lead. Sanders connected on another triple to extend the FSU lead to four. Woody concluded the 13-point run with a layup that gave the Falcons a double-digit lead with just over eight minutes left in the first half.

The Senators rallied and cut the FSU lead to four points late in the first half. The Falcons regrouped and Hale made a driving layup before the end of the first half to put the Falcons ahead by 11 points after the first 20 minutes.
 
Davis & Elkins crept back into the game and trailed by five points within the first three minutes of the second half. Briggs Parris drilled his second triple of the night that gave Fairmont State a 13-point advantage. Again, the Senators continued to battle and trimmed the Falcons' lead to six points midway through the second half. 
 
Zyon Dobbs completed a key three-point play to push the Fairmont State lead back to double-digits with nine minutes remaining. The Falcons extended their lead down the stretch to as many as 18 points. The Falcons prevented D&E from climbing back into the game and secured a double-digit road conference victory.
 
Up Next
Fairmont State returns to the road on Tuesday (Nov. 22) for a matchup versus the West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats. The game is slated to begin at 7:30 p.m.