WHEELING, W.Va. – The Fairmont State University men's basketball team opened the Mountain East Conference Tournament against Frostburg State University. The Falcons were able to rally and defeat the Bobcats, 80-77.

After a slow start from both teams, Frostburg State opened the scoring with a 7-0 run. Tyheil Peterson got Fairmont State on the board with two free throws. The Falcons slowly chipped away at the deficit as a CJ Meredith three and a Miguel Martinez layup tied the game at nine with 12:55 left in the first half.

The offenses on both sides started to find a rhythm as they exchanged makes as the game was tied at 15 with 9:12 on the clock. The lead switched between the two teams before consecutive baskets by Zycheus Dobbs to give the Falcons a 28-22 lead. The Bobcats battled back with five-straight points to make a one-point game with 2:22 on the clock.

Frostburg State closed the half with six unanswered points while Fairmont State turned over the ball three times in those final minutes. At the horn, the Bobcats led 33-28.

Out of the half, the Falcons went on a 5-0 run to the tied the game at 33 but Frostburg State answered with a 5-0 run of its own. The two teams kept matching each other over the next several minutes with the Bobcats holding a 45-42 edge with 15:47 left in regulation.

Coming out of the timeout, Frostburg State was able to widen its lead to eight. As Fairmont State tried to cut into the lead, the Bobcats were able to hold on and led by nine (57-48) with 10:43 on the clock. The Falcons began to slowly chip away and thanks to a 10-2 run, they claimed a 64-63 lead with 5:11 left in the second half. During the run, Diop scored six of the 10 points.

Fairmont State slowly started to expand the lead but Frostburg State responded each time to keep it around a one-possession game. With five seconds left, the Bobcats had a chance to tie the game but were unsuccessful as the Falcons came out on top by the three-point margin.

David Jolinder led the team with 16 points, all of them coming in the second half. Coming off the bench, Miguel Martinez scored 15 points with five rebounds. As a team, the Falcons outscored the Bobcats 54-26 in the paint.

Fairmont State will face the winner of Wheeling and Concord on Saturday, March 7. Game time from WesBanco Arena is set for 8:30 p.m.