WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The Fairmont State men's basketball team (20-6, 15-5 Mountain East Conference) fell on the road to No. 11/10 West Liberty in overtime 119-113 on Saturday (Feb. 18) evening at the ASRC in West Liberty, W.Va.
The Hilltoppers trailed by three points with less than 15 seconds in the second half and managed to even the score at 103 to send the game into overtime. WLU scored the first seven points in overtime and held on in the extra period for the win.
George Mangas led all scorers with 32 points and was two rebounds shy of a double-double, leading the team with eight boards.
Zyon Dobbs notched a double-double with 15 points and 10 assists.
David Jolinder finished with a season-high 19 points and shot 70% from the field.
Isaiah Sanders rounded out the double-digit scorers for Fairmont State with 18 points. Sanders did not miss a shot from the field and went 5-for-5 from the floor.
The Falcons pounded 62 points in the paint compared to WLU's 54. The Falcons' bench poured in 38 points. Fairmont State shot 56.2% from the field and held the Hilltoppers to 49.4%. WLU tracked down five more boards and hit five more three-pointers than the Falcons in the game.
The Falcons trailed West Liberty by three points with nine minutes to go in the first half when Mangas drove the lane for a layup to trim the deficit to one.
Briggs Parris made a step-back jumper and Sanders scored a layup to give Fairmont State a 6-0 run and a three-point lead. Mangas broke a 44-44 tie with a three-pointer for the Falcons with 3:28 left in the half. WLU closed out the first half by outscoring the Falcons by four points and led 59-55 at the intermission.
West Liberty opened the second half on a 7-2 run and jumped out to an 11-point lead, which was the only double-digit lead the entire game by either team. The Fighting Falcons stormed back and a Parris three-pointer tied the game at 70 with 14:35 on the clock. After the Hilltoppers went back up four points, Dobbs and Sanders combined for seven-unanswered points to give Fairmont State a three-point lead with less than 12 minutes in regulation. The Falcons held the lead for over eight minutes but never led by a margin of greater than five points. The Hilltoppers tied the score at 89 with 4:17 left in the second half.
On the next Fairmont State possession, Mangas knocked down a shot from downtown and the Falcons led 92-89. Following a WLU basket Jolinder muscled his way into the paint and threw down a dunk and was fouled. He completed the three-point play and Fairmont State led by four points with 3:18 on the clock. Sanders hit a pair of free throws and the Fairmont State lead grew to six points at the three-minute mark.
The 'Toppers offense scored seven-straight points to jump back in the lead, 98-97 with 1:19 left in regulation. Dobbs swished two shots at the line to put the Falcons up by one point with 1:02 left. After WLU made two free throws, Mangas delivered a key old-fashioned three and Fairmont State led by two points with 30 seconds to go. A Dobbs free throw put Fairmont State in the lead by three points with 15 seconds left on the clock. WLU made a trio of free throws in the last 15 seconds and the back-and-forth conference contest needed an additional period to decide a winner.
The Hilltoppers scored the first seven points of the overtime period. Parris made a tough fadeaway jump shot to get the Falcons within five points at the 2:08 mark of overtime. WLU continued to make free throws in overtime and the Falcons were unable to close the margin in the last two minutes of overtime.
The Fairmont State men's basketball team will look to bounce back at home on Wednesday (Feb. 22) when the team will host West Virginia Wesleyan at Joe Retton Arena. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.
