MEC MBB First Round Playoff Preview: #7 Frostburg State vs #10 Point Park

WHEELING, W.Va. – The Frostburg State Men's Basketball team is set to head to WesBanco Arena on Wednesday, entering the Mountain East Conference Tournament as the No. 7 seed, their highest bid in the tournament yet. 
 
How They Got Here: In their second year under Head Coach Zack Thomsen, the Bobcats finished the regular season with a 12-16 overall record, going for a 8-12 mark in MEC play.  Frostburg enters their second straight MEC Tournament, there first-ever two, facing the No. 10 seed Point Park for the third time this season. 
 
Point Park, in their first year in the MEC, enters the conference tournament as the No. 10 seed.  The Pioneers sit with a 10-18 overall record and a 4-16 go around in the MEC.  PPU looks for their first-ever conference tournament win in their first-ever MEC Tournament appearance.   
 
The Matchup: Both teams have faced off twice in the regular season during conference play, with FSU taking both matchups.  Frostburg soared past Point Park in Bobcat Arena on Saturday, January 18 in the two teams first-ever meeting, taking the game by a large margin io 107-70.  The Bobcats then stole the team's second contest against one another, see an 80-73 victory on the road on Saturday, February 22.   
 
The Players: Frostburg is led by First Team All-MEC member junior Jaden Baker, the first Bobcat to be awarded First Team honors since the program joined Division II in 2019.  Baker leads the team in scoring with 19.1 ppg for a conference second-best.  Baker averages 5.1 rpg and 3.2 assists per game, leading the team in total assists with 77.  Joining him is senior Koby Baptiste, an All-MEC Honorable Mention recipient, who is second on the team in scoring with 13.3 ppg and first on the team in rebounding with an 8.1 average which goes for fifth best in the MEC.  Baptiste leads the team and the MEC in total steals with 61 and steals per game with 2.2.  Joining them to fill out the Bobcats rotation is senior JayShaun Freeman and graduate Eric Sondberg, who can both light it up from behind the arc, with the former seeing 11 ppg and a  team-high 39.8% from three, and the latter showing 9.4 ppg and a 33.1% from deep.  Another player to look out for is freshman Trey Simmons, who has had a standout second half of the season, coming off the bench averaging 9.5 ppg while shooting 51.9% from the floor.
 
Point Park is led by Kaden Warner and Nazaret Fisher, both who average double figures for the Pioneers.  Warner leads the team with 14.9 ppg, shooting a solid mark from the floor in 39.4%, while showing 35.5% from deep and 79.5% from the free throw line.  Warner also leads the team in assists with 95 and steals with 23.  Fisher averages a double-double, showing 11.5 ppg and 10.9 rbg.  Fisher leads the team in field goal percentage, shooting a solid 59% from the field, while also leading the team in blocks with 33.  To round out PPU, Aidan Miller and Aidan Anderson provide on both ends of the floor for the Pioneers, both averaging right under 10 ppg, with Miller pulling down nine rebounds a game and Anderson grabbing five. 
 
Wednesday, March 5 – MEC First Round
#7 Frostburg State vs. #10 Point Park – 6 PM
#8 Davis & Elkins vs. #9 Wheeling – 8:30 PM
 
Friday, March 7 – MEC Quarterfinals
#2 Fairmont State vs. Winner of FSU/PPU – 12 PM
#3 Charleston vs. #6 Glenville State – 2:30 PM
#1 West Liberty vs. Winner of D&E/WHL – 6 PM
#4 Concord vs. #5 West Virginia State – 8:30 PM