Early 3-Point Shooting, Swarming Defense Lead Men's Basketball to Road Win Over DYU

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Frostburg State Men's Basketball team used some early three-point shooting and a stout defensive effort to defeat D'Youville on the road Friday night.
 
FSU came out of the gates hot, as on their first possession, junior Jaden Baker whipped a pass to redshirt junior Justin Roseme for a deep make, then after grabbing a defensive board, senior Koby Baptiste lobbed ahead to junior Chase Whippen for an easy finish and a 5-0 lead. DYU finally got on the board with their next possession, as a layup made in a one-point game just before Baker dished to graduate Eric Sondberg for a trey, then sophomore Vilius Slanina drove to the paint for a make and a 10-4 score.
 
The Saints came back with two straight makes to cut the deficit to two, but Frostburg wouldn't let them get any closer the rest of the way. Redshirt senior Naphtali Regilus swiped the ball and fed senior JayShaun Freeman for a triple, then Baker hit a pair of his own off feeds from each teammate for a 19-8 advantage. D'Youville had trouble navigating the Bobcat press, going five minutes without a basket until finally getting a floater in the lane followed by a lay-in off an FSU turnover. Freeman hit from downtown again, then Whippen nabbed his own miss for a putback and a double-digit lead.
 
Baker continued to lead the offense with an assist to Slanina from three, then after a Baptiste basket, the former got a quick steal and finish to go up 31-17. DYU couldn't keep up with FSU's deep threat, as Roseme, Baker, and Slanina all connected on treys, the latter getting an and-one to complete a four-point play, while Baptiste and Whippen bullied their way down low for a whopping 45-19 score. The Saints were able to limit further Frostburg damage to free throws until Baptiste put back his own shot with just over a minute left, as the half ended with a comfortable 50-27 Bobcat lead.
 
Baker and Roseme helped maintain the momentum at the start of the second period, going a combined three-of-four at the line, with Roseme getting the first field goal for either side two minutes in. D'Youville found their offensive rhythm from that point, but couldn't slow down Frostburg defensively, traded baskets up to a 59-35 game after another pair at the charity stripe from Roseme. Baker then took advantage of a Baptiste steal with a drive to the hole, but that would be FSU's only make from the field for the next four minutes, finally broken when Freeman got a jumper to fall with things now at 64-41.
 
After not making a three-pointer in the entire first half, the Saints finally found their shooting stroke with a pair from deep either side of a layup for an 8-0 run to cut within 15. Baker settled things back down by gathering his own miss and finishing, then Roseme silenced the home crowd with his third triple to get back to a 20-point lead. DYU didn't go away easily, as yet another small run culminated in another downtown shot to bring things to 71-56.
 
Baker got to the line again and went perfect, then some great ball movement off an offensive board from Whippen to Roseme to Baptiste got an easy layup to go. The Bobcat defense locked down the final five minutes, not allowing another field goal to go down, as freshman Brady Walters provided one final highlight with a reverse driving layup, with classmate Trey Simmons ending the game at the line for an 83-58 victory.
 
Baker led all scorers with 22 points, as he was joined in double figures by Roseme (17), Baptiste (12), and Slanina (10). Baptiste pulled down a career-high 18 rebounds, tying him for the ninth-most in a single game in program history, while Whippen tacked on 11, both nabbing six on the offensive end. FSU's defense forced 28 turnovers in the effort, the most by an opponent at the Division II level and at least the team's single-game high since the 2011-12 season.
 
With the win, Frostburg improves to 4-8 on the year, while D'Youville falls to 2-11. The Bobcats return home to face No. 8 West Libert on Wednesday, January 8 at 7:30 p.m. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.