PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- The Fairmont State University men's basketball team battled the Point Park University Pioneers in their first Mountain East Conference matchup. The Falcons were able to survive and come away with an 84-79 victory.

Andre Harris led all players with 29 points, going 13-20 from the field. David Jolinder added 19 points and eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in his career. Taj Thweatt contributed 14 while Tommy Williams finished with 10 points.

Point Park (9-6, 4-5) opened the game with the first four points but Fairmont State (13-2, 8-1) came right back with an 8-2 stretch including a three by Andre Harris. The Pioneers quickly regained control with a 10-3 run to regain the lead, 16-11, with 13:16 left in the first half.

Tyheil Peterson sparked the next run for the Falcons as he was fouled on three-point make. Peterson completed the four-point play that led the charge for a 9-0 run to go in front by four (20-16) just under 10 minutes on the clock.

The two teams began to match each other as the pace of play picked up. Neither team really claimed the lead until Point Park hit a three just under a minute to go. Harris laid one in on the next possession but the Pioneers got the last say with a three just before the horn. At the half, the hosts led 38-34.

Fairmont State started the second half with the ball and off the play, David Jolinder drove the lane for an easy layup. On the ensuing inbounds, the Falcons were able to steal the ball away as Jolinder found Rudy Fitzgibbons in the corner for a three. The run continued as Harris scored in the paint to take a 41-38 lead just under a minute into the half.

The two sides started to go back-and-forth as FSU slowly grew the lead to six (53-47) at the under 15:00 media timeout. Both teams continued the pace until the Pioneers went on a 10-0 run to take a 61-58 lead with 9:48 left in regulation.

Point Park maintained the lead until the Falcons used a 7-2 stretch to go ahead 71-70 with 5:31 left on the clock. The game started to come down to the wire as Harris made a layup with just over two minutes to go. After a defensive battle, Taj Thweatt knocked the ball loose and eventually slammed it home to go ahead by five (82-77).

The Pioneers came right back and hit a jumper in the lane. With just a few seconds left, the hosts drew a foul on a three-point shot. Fortunately for the Falcons, they missed all three attempts but had one last inbound to attempt a last second shot. However, on the play, Point Park stepped out of bounds and turned the ball over. Tommy Williams was fouled and made two free throws to secure the five-point road win.

Fairmont State returns to Joe Retton Arena on Saturday, January 18 to face the Tigers of Salem University. Tip-off is slated for 4:00 p.m.