WHEELING, W.Va. -- The 11th-ranked Fairmont State University men's basketball team hit the road to face Wheeling University. The Falcons held a slight advantage at half and never looked back as they bested the Cardinals, 71-64.

David Jolinder led the maroon and white with 17 points and nine rebounds. Andre Harris contributed 14 points while Taj Thweatt added another 12 to the total. 

Taj Thweatt opened the scoring for Fairmont State (20-3, 14-2) with two free throws. Wheeling (10-13, 5-10) quickly answered with a layup but Thweatt responded with one of his own. After the Cardinals added another point, the Falcons went on a 7-0 run including five points from Tyheil Peterson. Just over five minutes into the action, FSU led 11-3.

However, the hosts came roaring back with a 16-4 run over the next 8:46 of game time. The stretch pushed Wheeling in front by four (19-15) with 5:38 on the clock. A dunk by Andre Harris seemingly slowed the strong push by the Cardinals and got the Falcons back in the groove. A couple of possessions later, Tommy Williams hit a three before Harris made two free throws to recapture the lead, 22-21.

With three minutes to go, the squads traded baskets before the Cardinals hit a three to even the score at 27. On the next possession, Fairmont State came down the floor and Rudy Fitzgibbons hit a three for the last basket of the half. At the break, the visitors led 30-27.

Just like in the first half, Thweatt opened the scoring with a layup. Wheeling matched it but then the Falcons scored 12 of the next 16 points to entertain an 11-point advantage (44-33). Thweatt and David Jolinder led the charge with four points each during the run.

The Cardinals hit two threes in short succession and narrowed the gap to just five points (46-41) with 13:03 left on the clock. Fortunately, FSU responded with next seven points reopen the lead back to double digits. The visitors were able to maintain the advantage until the hosts found some offensive rhythm and made the score 63-59 with just under four minutes to go.

However, that was the closest Wheeling got to tying up the game. Over the final three minutes, Fairmont State went 3-3 from the free throw line with a couple of mid-range baskets from Harris to bring home the road win, 71-64.

In the paint, the Falcons showed their dominance with 40 points compared to 24 for the Cardinals. The visitors also capitalized on second chance opportunities with 16 points while scoring another 10 on the fast break.

Fairmont State welcomes West Liberty University to the Joe Retton Arena for another Top-15 showdown. The game will start around 4:00 p.m.