WHEELING, W.Va. – The Fairmont State University men's basketball faced West Liberty University in a top 10 matchup for the Mountain East Conference Tournament Championship. The Falcons attempted to rally in the second half but were unsuccessful and fell by the final score of 93-88.

"Really proud of our fight, proud of our togetherness in the second half," said head coach Tim Koenig. "You know, we just ran out of time."

At of the gates, West Liberty jumped ahead 4-0 before David Jolinder and Rene Diop combined to tie the game. The Hilltoppers scored the next six points before Zycheus Dobbs and Drey Carter combined for a 6-2 run to make it a 12-10 game. West Liberty answered with the next six points to lead 18-10 with 12:28 left in the first half.

Out of the media timeout, the Hilltoppers added to their lead while the Falcons offense struggled to find an offensive rhythm. At 8:56 on the clock, West Liberty led 28-16. Despite Fairmont State's attempts to narrow the deficit, the opposing team maintaining the double-digit advantage.

The Hilltoppers kept pressure on both ends of the floor as they forced turnovers and converted them into points. By the time the halftime horn sounded, West Liberty were ahead 50-31.

After halftime, the Falcons kept trying to chip away at the deficit but West Liberty had a response. Dobbs' fastbreak layup with 10:53 on the clock made it a 14-point game. Fairmont State was able to make it a 13-point game with an 8-2 run.

Back-and-forth action continued until Drey Carter converted consecutive layups to make a 77-67 game with 5:27 left in regulation. The deficit remained around 10 until David Jolinder hit a straight-away three to make the deficit seven (83-76) with 1:55 on the clock.

Miguel Martinez hit a three followed by a free throw from Carter to narrow the margin to four (85-81) with 40 seconds left. In the final 10 seconds, Tyheil Peterson made a fastbreak layup and a free throw. Martinez then made three free throws to make it a 91-88 game with just a few seconds left but time ran out on the rally as the Falcons fell by the five-point margin.

 Drey Carter led the team with 23 points and finished with six rebounds. David Jolinder ended the game with 15 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals. Miguel Martinez (14), Rene Diop (11) and Zycheus Dobbs (11) finished with double-digit points.

"I just think as a team, coming off the second half, we just wanted to change that mindset," said Drey Carter after the game. "We weren't matching the physicality, so I think there was just a shift that was shown of just putting that effort. I think we did a good job of turning around the second half and trying to make those strides just came up short."

Carter and Martinez were both named to the MEC All-Tournament Team.

"Really proud of the guys in the second half," Koenig added. "We come up short, you know. You're in the arena and I'm just grateful that we're in the arena. Tonight, we came up a little short. I'm very grateful though."

Fairmont State will await to see where it is seeded the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional. The selection show is on Sunday, March 8 at 11:00 p.m. To watch the show, click here.