Men's Basketball's Solid Team Effort Falls Just Short in Close Loss to No. 10 Fairmont

FAIRMONT, W.Va. – The Frostburg State Men's Basketball team snapped their six-game win streak with a close 75-71 effort with No. 10 Fairmont State on Saturday afternoon. 
 
Frostburg started off hot, with a steal from senior Koby Baptiste leading to the first points of the game off a fastbreak layup.  The Bobcats pushed for an 8-0 run in the first three minutes, keeping Fairmont scoreless for almost five minutes into action.  Junior Jaden Baker and redshirt junior Justin Roseme were given layups in the paint, while Baptiste nailed a jumper for the Bobcats.  Roseme was credited with another steal for Frostburg, while junior Chase Whippen was given a block, all on the defensive end.  Fairmont finally connected on a triple for their first score of the game at the 15:11 mark, quickly seeing two more scores for a 8-7 game.  Baker scooped in a layup off his own steal to increase the Bobcats' advantage, before the Fighting Falcons took their first lead of the game at the foul line with an 11-10 score. 
 
Freshman Christopher Meakin slammed one home off a feed from Baker to quickly put Frostburg back on top, as both teams fought for the lead.  A jumper from senior JayShaun Freeman saw a tie game at 14, before the Bobcats sparked for a 10-0 run to go up 25-14.  Freeman sunk back-to-back triples before the Falcons were finally able to put one home.  Both teams went silent for almost two minutes, hustling back and forth, before Fairmont connected on a triple to end the drought with 7:22 left in the half.  Redshirt senior Naphtali Regilus got in on the scoring action with a jumper in the paint, but Fairmont put one in on the end in response.  Both teams exchanged scores as time went on, as Baptiste picked up a block on the defensive end.  After a three minute drought towards the end of the first, Freeman connected on another three from behind the arc, putting Frostburg up 32-23 with 1:30 left in the half.  The Falcons scored five straight points before the break, leaving the score at 32-28 in favor of the Bobcats. 
 
The Falcons converted an and-one to open up the second half, as Freeman knotted two free throws to get the scoring going for Frostburg.  Whippen was credited with his first bucket of the game after getting three offensive rebounds, moving the Bobcats in front by five.  Baptiste and Baker worked to keep Frostburg ahead over the next few minutes, as Fairmont quickly closed in on the gap.  A layup underneath from Baptiste kept the Bobcats on top by four, as a three from the Falcons over a minute later brought the game to a one-point differential.  Baker was able to connect on two free throws to move Frostburg ahead by three, as back-to-back layups by the Falcons gave them a 45-44 advantage at the 13-minute mark. 
 
Baptiste answered right away with a trey of his own, giving the Bobcats back the lead.  A layup from the Falcons in response tied the game at 47 just a few seconds later.  Graduate Eric Sondberg sunk a duo of treys to give the Bobcats back the lead once again, as another quick lay-in in the paint from Fairmont tied the game now at 53.  The Falcons kept the edge for a few minutes, with Baker and Freeman tying the game with layups of their own.  Fairmont was able to break away for a 9-0 run to jump ahead for a 66-57 game with 4:23 left in regulation.  Sondberg helped the Bobcats rally with an easy two, as Regilus nailed a triple to cut the game to five, 67-62 with under three left to play.  Neither team scored for over a minute, until the Falcons nailed a jumper, followed by Freeman swishing another triple, now for a four-point game.  With under a minute left to play, Baptiste went two-for-two from the free throw line to bring the Bobcats within two with 32 seconds left on the clock.  Now forced to foul, Frostburg sent Fairmont to the line, where the Falcons connected on both free throws for a 71-67 score.  Whippen went down the court and quickly laid in a two, but with 15 seconds left, the Bobcats went to foul again.  With Fairmont connecting on both free throws once more, Frostburg wasn't able to hit their next shot, setting them up to foul once more, as time rounded out with Fairmont coming away with the 75-71 win. 
 
Freeman led all scorers with 21 points, shooting 7-for-14 from the field and 5-for-8 from deep.  Baker (14) and Baptiste (13) provided double figures as well, as Baptiste pulled down seven rebounds.  Whippen led the team in rebounds with nine, while Regilus grabbed six. 
 
With the loss, Frostburg goes to 9-9 on the season, while Fairmont moves to 16-2.  The Bobcats return home for their next contest, welcoming in Glenville State at 7:30 PM on Wednesday, January 29.  For more information and updates, please visit frostburgsports.com.