Sondberg, Regilus, Freeman Hit Clutch Shots Late to Give MBB Comeback Win Over WVWC

BUCKHANNON, W. Va. – The Frostburg State Men's Basketball team was able to keep their winning streak alive with a stunning 19-point overtime comeback victory on the road against West Virginia Wesleyan Wednesday night.
 
Fresh off seeing the FSU women's team complete a double-digit second half comeback of their own, the men began their contest by forcing an early turnover and seeing senior Koby Baptiste go two-of-two at the free throw line. WVWC responded with a pair of threes from Michael Batchelor and Alex Mirhosseini, though one from Baptiste kept Frostburg with a narrow 7-6 lead.
 
That would be the final field goal for FSU over the next three minutes, as Batchelor and Mirhosseini sparked a 10-0 run for the hosts that put them ahead 16-7 before junior Jaden Baker was able to convert an and-one to stop the bleeding. Junior Chase Whippen got into the lane and was found by Baptiste to keep the deficit in single digits, as the sides went back-and-forth up to a 24-17 score with 11 minutes until the half.
 
Another three-minute stretch went by before senior JayShaun Freeman got a basket to fall on a jumper, but by then Wesleyan had put in an offensive rebound and another make from deep to lead by 12. Baptiste scored the next four for Frostburg but WVWC kept their efficiency up on offense with a dunk and a jumper in the lane to lead 38-23. Redshirt junior Justin Roseme was able to knock down a trey off a Baker assist, but that would be FSU's final score over the next 2:40, while Wesleyan continuously got into the lane and finished, eventually holding a 44-26 advantage at the half.
 
Baker needed just nine seconds to get to the cup to start the second period, then after a Batchelor three, Baptiste followed suit the old-fashioned way before splitting a trip his next time to the stripe. A tip-in off a miss gave WVWC a 19-point lead just over three minutes in, but after a Whippen lay-in, FSU began to turn the contest around.
 
An offensive rebound gave Baker a second-chance score, he and Whippen split two of four free throws, with the latter adding a putback off his own miss while the former fed a pass to redshirt senior Naphtali Regilus to knock down a deep shot, suddenly bringing the deficit down to 10. The Baker-Whippen connection hit once more after quickly breaking the Wesleyan press, then Freeman and Baker hit back-to-back triples to pull within 58-51 before the halfway point of the frame.
 
WVWC made half of their next two chances at the line, while Regilus found graduate Eric Sondberg in the corner for another triple while being fouled, as he was able to complete the four-point play to get within five. Following a Wesleyan dunk, Baker was able to convert a plus-one at the bucket but the hosts restored some balance, getting a pair of layups either side of a Batchelor three to go back up 11.
 
Sondberg continued his hot streak off an assist from Baptiste, who then bullied his way to the basket before Freeman came up with a steal-and-score to get back to a six-point contest. After a WVWC miss, Baker whipped a pass through a crowd to an open Sondberg, hitting once more behind the arc, then the former got a steal and fastbreak layup to get to a 73-70 game with three minutes to go.
 
Wesleyan was able to knock down two freebies but Freeman got a pull-up jumper to fall and got hit from behind in the process, then Baker was fouled going to the rim, knocking both down for a 75-75 tie. Determined not to let all their hard work in the first half go to waste, Batchelor passed to Mirhosseini for a clutch three from the top of the key, then at the other end Baker was blocked going to the rim, as Stephen Ovia got a layup to fall to hold an 80-75 advantage with 90 seconds on the clock.
 
Coming back down on offense, Freeman weaved his way into the lane then shoveled to Sondberg, who was left with 10 feet of space to hit a trey from the right wing. Trying to run down the clock, WVWC ticked down to the final minute before Batchelor heaved a deep shot that clanged off the rim and into the hands of Baptiste. Freeman then handed off to Regilus, who took one step around his defender and another two to the basket to tie things at 80. With their final possession, Wesleyan saw an 8-foot bunny shot fall just short of the basket, giving FSU a chance to win, but Baptiste's last-second effort was blocked away, paving the way for overtime.
 
WVWC got the first chance to score but couldn't convert, while Freeman was able to from the elbow for Frostburg's first lead since the clock read 17:40 in the first half. Freshman Christopher Meakin then grabbed a defensive board and tried to force his way into the paint, getting fouled in the process and making one of his two free throws. At the other end, Ovia followed up a Mirhosseini miss with a putback plus a foul, evening the game at 83-83. A pair of misses from both teams proceeded, then the sides traded perfect attempts at the charity stripe. On FSU's resulting possession, the ball went out of bounds off a Wesleyan player, as Freeman raced around a pair of screens from Baptiste and Meakin to catch a feed from Baker, splashing the triple while falling to his left.
 
Batchelor immediately hit back with one of his own, taking the extra period into its final minute. Baker drove the lane and got fouled but could only convert one of his two chances, however he made up for it on the defensive end, forcing Batchelor into a tough fall-away that was too long, falling into the hands of Freeman. Getting over half court with less than 30 seconds left, Baker was given the ball and again was fouled, going one-for-two at the line. Looking for a chance to tie or take the lead, WVWC took a timeout to draw up a play, but this time it was Freeman's turn to lock down defensively, coming an inch away from blocking a long two, as Regilus skied for the rebound and was fouled with two seconds to go. Despite offering a sliver of a chance with one make at the line and a three-point advantage, a half-court Batchelor heave went wide and gave FSU the narrow 91-88 victory.
 
Baker (20) led Frostburg in scoring, where he was joined in double figures by Freeman (19), Baptiste (16) and Sondberg (15). Baptiste tacked on 13 rebounds for his fourth double-double in his last six games, while Baker dished out a game-high five assists.
 
With the win, FSU improves to 9-8 overall, while Wesleyan falls to 3-14. Frostburg will have some stiff competition looking for their seventh-consecutive win, as they travel to No. 10 Fairmont State on Saturday, January 25 for a 4 p.m. contest. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.