Baptiste Reaches 1K Career Points as Men's Basketball Drops Narrow Contest to GSU

FROSTBURG, Md. – The Frostburg State Men's Basketball team lost a close battle 76-72 at home to Glenville State on Wednesday night.
 
Each team led off the game with a missed shot and a turnover before trading threes between Devin Collins for GSU and senior JayShaun Freeman for FSU. Another three minutes went by before Freeman hit again from deep, with the Pioneers responding on a split trip to the line and converting a turnover into a jumper for a 6-6 tie. Graduate Eric Sondberg put the Bobcats back ahead after an and-one, then junior Chase Whippen was found by Freeman for a lay-in, who then made a long two to go up 13-6.
 
Glenville quickly got themselves back in the game, using a pair of layups, one being counted plus a foul, to get within two. Off a Sondberg miss, sophomore Vilius Slanina skied for an offensive rebound, immediately passing out to redshirt junior Justin Roseme for a trey, then hit one of his own to lead 19-13. Within 20 seconds, GSU got to the line and hit a transition three to pull back within one, but freshman Christopher Meakin did the same for Frostburg to maintain a six-point advantage.
 
The sides traded possessions before the Pioneers converted from behind the arc, as Freeman responded with an elbow jumper at the final media timeout of the half. Roseme got into the lane for a bucket to answer one from Glenville, but the visitors nailed a pair of triples either side of a junior Jaden Baker layup to go into the half trailing by just two at 31-29.
 
GSU opened the second half by tying the game, but senior Koby Baptiste and Baker each muscled into the paint for a combined three layups and a trip to the line for the former to hold a four-point lead after four minutes. From that point, Glenville locked down defensively, holding FSU without a field goal for four and a half minutes, turning their 38-34 deficit into a 47-39 advantage. Baker helped stop the run by knocking down three of four free throws, as Baptiste added a drive to the cup to cut within four, reaching 1,000 career college points between his time at Howard CC and Frostburg.
 
The Pioneers responded with the next five points, holding the largest lead of the game for either team at 53-44. It would be Baker again to lift his side, converting an old-fashioned three-point play, then sophomore Zane McCarty added one of the modern variety thanks to a steal by the former that brought things to 53-50 with nine minutes to go. After Glenville split a pair at the line, neither team scored a point for nearly three minutes, when Whippen was fouled and went perfect from the stripe.
 
A three gave GSU back a six-point lead, but McCarty got a steal and quickly fed Sondberg for a basket, with the latter then hitting from deep followed by a Baptiste bucket to pull within 60-59. Two free throws to the Pioneers gave them some breathing room which was subsequently wiped out when Baker fed Whippen in the paint before nabbing an offensive board and getting fouled, knocking both shots down for a 63-62 lead.
 
Baker once again made his way to the rim following more Pioneer foul shots, but it would be the visitors to grab momentum back with a three-pointer, steal, and putback to go back up 69-65. Each side traded free throws, then a split trip by GSU allowed Baker to get a score plus a foul to pull within 72-70. Frostburg was forced to foul on the resulting inbound, as after each went in, Baptiste followed up a miss with a flush, while Glenville then couldn't seal the game by going one-for-two. Looking to tie the score and set up a potential overtime, Sondberg let fly from the left wing but saw his shot blocked by the onrushing Collins, as the ball fell into Pioneer hands to finish things out at the line 76-72.
 
Baker led the Bobcats with 22 points and five assists, while Baptiste added a double-double of 12 points and 16 boards to go with a game-high four steals.
 
With the loss, Frostburg drops to 9-10 on the year, while Glenville improves to 10-9. FSU next returns to the road to face Concord on Saturday, February 1 at 4 p.m. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.