CLARION, Pa. – The Frostburg State Men's Basketball team weren't able to complete their 20-point comeback bid in a 95-94 loss on the road to Clarion Wednesday evening.
 
FSU had three chances to get on the board first but missed a pair of triples and a putback, while CU converted each of their first three attempts to hold a 7-2 lead. Junior Mike Montano and sophomore Trey Simmons got Frostburg started with three combined layups, but the Golden Eagles continued to thrive offensively, building a 16-6 advantage. After graduate Chase Whippen broke a two-and-a-half-minute field goal drought, Montano netted a pair of layups and a trey to pull within 22-17. Simmons then got the Bobcats within a possession with another drive to the cup, however Clarion responded with the next five points to lead by eight.
 
 A split trip at the line was followed by a Montano slam and junior Zane McCarty hitting from deep to pull within 30-25. CU again wouldn't let FSU get too close, getting back-to-back lay-ins and a pair at the line to push the lead back to 11. Another slam by Montano was followed by redshirt freshman DJ Daniel converting at the charity stripe, but Frostburg couldn't get enough stops defensively, with the Eagles holding a 44-30 advantage with three minutes in the half. Montano and Whippen went for a pair of layups, while the former added another three and drove the lane again to end the half with Clarion leading 50-39.
 
Starting out the second period, Montano tried to provide Frostburg a spark with a steal and a dish to Simmons to score, but CU continued to find their stride, hitting a pair of three-pointers to take a 60-45 lead. The Golden Eagles held the Bobcats without a field goal for over two minutes, growing their lead up two 20 before Montano got a pair of putbacks and Daniel had a steal and dunk, while Simmons added a lay-in to cut the lead down to 68-56 after six minutes.
 
Clarion then had six points with FSU answering through a Daniel dunk, as he then also made a layup following a triple by freshman Mitch Finefrock, bringing the deficit down to 10. Montano and Daniel then took over the offense, scoring the next 11 Bobcat points, with the former's putback suddenly closing the gap to 79-75 with eight minutes to go. The Eagles tried to stop the run with a pair of threes but McCarty got to the rim and then hit one of his own from deep, bringing Frostburg to within three.
 
Following a CU layup, Montano split a trip to the line before feeding Daniel for a triple that brought the lead down to a point, however a combined five free throws from the hosts in their next two possessions brought them back ahead 93-88. After an FSU miss, Montano got the ball right back with a steal-and-score, while Daniel made another trey to stun the home crowd and tie the game at 93-93 with just under two to play.
 
Finefrock helped give Frostburg a chance to take the lead by getting a steal, but the Bobcats were unable to convert on a pair of shots. Graduate Kyle Whippen then had a swipe of his own, as a foul put Montano at the line for a one-and-one, however he couldn't hit the front end, giving CU the ball back. Each team traded missed shots, with the Golden Eagles getting the ball with 30 seconds to play. Out of a Clarion timeout, Trey Nelson got to the basket and finished to give his team a two-point lead after 10 seconds came off the clock. With the Bobcats then calling a timeout, Montano went to drive the lane and dished off to Kyle Whippen, who was fouled after a shot fake with a chance to tie at the line. After making the first, he couldn't hit the second, as a late heave from McCarty bounced off the rim as time expired with the Golden Eagles holding on for the 95-94 final.
 
Montano poured in a career-high 41 points and 18 rebounds, tied for the fourth- and ninth-most totals in a single game in program history, respectively. His 18 field goals were also the second-most all-time, as he added a team-high six assists and three steals. Daniel notched 21 points and five boards while Kyle Whippen brought in 14 rebounds, as each had a pair of steals as well.
 
With the loss, Frostburg drops to 1-2 on the year, while Clarion improves to 2-1. FSU has a week-long break before returning home to face Shepherd on Wednesday, November 26 at 2 p.m. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.