FROSTBURG, Md. -- The 13th-ranked Fairmont State University men's basketball team wrapped up regular season play at Frostburg State University. The Falcons were able to top the Bobcats, 95-88.
The Falcons were led by the strong shooting of
Rudy Fitzgibbons as he scored 22 points, going 5-7 from the field (all from three) and 7-8 at the free throw line.
Andre Harris added 20 points with nine rebounds.
Fairmont State (24-4, 17-3) scored the games first points before Frostburg State (12-16, 8-12) went on a 9-0 run. The Falcons were able to chip away at the difference and tied the game at 14 with 14:47 on the clock.Â
The two teams continued the seesaw affair until
CJ Little made consecutive baskets to give the visitors a four-point lead (20-16) with just over 10 minutes left in the half. However, the Bobcats scored seven-straight points to take a 28-23 advantage.Â
Frostburg was able to stretch its lead out to eight (41-33) but Fairmont slowly worked down the gap. By the time the horn sounded for halftime, the difference was three (42-39) with the hosts still in front.
Out of the second half, the hosts were held on to the lead until the Falcons went on an 11-0 run to ahead, 55-50. During the run,
Andre Harris scored five points while
Tyheil Peterson added four. Like most of the game though, the other team battled back with an 11-2 run to go ahead by two (64-62) with 11:17 remaining.Â
The two squads continued to battle as Fairmont State slowly pulled ahead and after a
Rudy Fitzgibbons three, led 76-70. The Bobcats tried to even the score but each time down the floor, the Falcons had answer on the other end. In the final minute, the visitors went 6-6 from the charity stripe to secure the seven-point victory.
As a team, the Falcons shot 57.1-percent (32-56) from the field including 10-23 from distance. In the paint, the team scored 42 points with another 22 coming on the fast break.
Fairmont State will be the two-seed at the MEC Tournament and will face the winner of Frostburg State and Point Park on Friday, March 7 at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, West Virginia. Game time is set for 12:00 p.m.
Â
