— Story by Taylor Kennedy
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — After a two day break, 10 of the 12 men’s teams from the Mountain East Conference took the court Sunday afternoon. The matchup between Wheeling and Notre Dame College was postponed due to COVID-19.
Home teams went 3-2 on Sunday. Unlike the first night, three of the five games were decided by 10+ points. Five teams entered Sunday undefeated, only three teams remained unbeaten.
Glenville State 72, Charleston 70
In the first half, it was all Charleston. The Golden Eagles led by 10 points at the half. The Pioneers started the second half on a 7-0 run, which cut UC’s lead to five. From that point forward, it was all Glenville State. The Pioneers chopped down a 66-62 deficit in the final four minutes. Thanks to a pair of free throws from junior John Williams put GSC in front by one.
The two would go down to the wire sharing buckets. With less than five seconds, Glenville State guard Nicholas Edwards hit a floater with 1.2 seconds left. UC would have one final shot, but the shot did not fall.
Edwards led the Pioneers in scoring with 19 points and eight assists. Williams recorded 13 as well. For the Golden Eagles, senior Seth O’Neil led all scorers with 21 points on 8-14 (57%) shooting. Glenville State assisted on 16 of its 26 (62%) total made field goals. UC outrebounded GSC 34-30.
The Pioneers will host the Senators of Davis & Elkins, and the Golden Eagles will welcome Alderson Broaddus. Both games will take place on Wednesday.
Fairmont State 87, Davis & Elkins 70
The No. 23 Falcons of Fairmont State were tested throughout the game, especially in the first half. But, with 13:10 remaining, the Falcons broke off on an 18-7 run, which put them in front 69-61 with under eight minutes left. During that run, freshman Przemyslaw Golek accounted for eight of the 18 points. After that run, the Falcons would outscored the Senators 18-9.
Five Falcons scored in double-figures, including Cole VonHandorf with 21. James Madison transfer and former Fairmont Senior guard Zyon Dobbs recorded seven points, nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals. On the flip side, Gyasi Powell and Marcus Fleming combined for 40 of the Senators 70 points.
Fairmont State outrebounded Davis & Elkins 66-47. In the game, there was 17 lead changes and 12 ties. Of the 17 turnovers the Falcons forced, 19 points were converted from those forced turnovers.
Fairmont State will welcome the preseason number one team in the MEC Wednesday evening. Davis & Elkins will travel to Glenville to take on Glenville State at 7:30pm on Wednesday.
Frostburg State 81, WV Wesleyan 77
After splitting last year’s season series, Frostburg State captures its first win of the season against W.Va. Wesleyan. Frostburg State led by as many as seven points with under four and a half minutes left in the game. Wesleyan would cut the lead all the way down to one with 1:42 left, but Frostburg would score the last four points and prevail.
Frostburg State was led by Washington, D.C. native Agyei Edwards with 27 points. Through two games, he is averaging 30 points per game. The FSU starting five accounted for 56 of the team’s 81 total points. Sophomore guard Jaylin Reed led W.Va. Wesleyan in scoring with 22 points.
There were 13 lead changes and six ties throughout the game. Frostburg State saw 25 points come from people coming off the bench, which was 11 better than Wesleyan. W.Va. Wesleyan outscored Frostburg State 36-32 in points in the paint.
W.Va. Wesleyan will hit the road for its second straight road game as the Bobcats will go to Concord. Frostburg State will welcome the Cardinals of Wheeling University Wednesday evening.
West Virginia State 89, Concord 74
After a back and forth first half, Concord went into the half up two 38-36. The second half started where the first half left off, back and forth basketball. The first media timeout came around the 14:41 mark in the second half. Once the Yellow Jackets stepped back onto the court, their hands were on fire. They went on a 17-3 run that lasted roughly five minutes. 15 of the 17 points came from behind the arc. That run would help W.Va. State hold the lead the rest of the way.
All but four points were accounted for by the Yellow Jackets starting five. They were led by Chicago native Glen Abram with 32 points on 4-8 (50%) shooting from three-point land. On the opposite side, Malik Johnson led Concord in scoring with 23 points.
West Virginia State outscored Concord 34-32 in points in the paint. The Yellow Jackets outrebounded the Mountain Lions 31-30. W.Va. State shot 35% from three compared to 38% from Concord.
The Yellow Jackets will head back home for a one game home stint against Notre Dame College. The Mountain Lions will welcome the Bobcats of West Virginia Wesleyan for their second straight home game.
West Liberty 123, Alderson Broaddus 73
For the 53rd time in the Ben Howlett era, the West Liberty Hilltoppers eclipsed the 100-point mark. The Hilltoppers led by 36 points at the break. West Liberty would continue its dominance in the second half as it outscored the Battlers 58-44.
Six Hilltoppers recorded double-figures, including 20 points from junior Will Yoakum. After yesterday’s performance, it was the 22nd time in Yoakum’s career he scored 20+ in a game. AB was led by the Reynoldsburg, Ohio native KJ Walker who scored 15 points on 6-9 (67%) shooting.
West Liberty outrebounded Alderson Broaddus 54-36. WLU senior Dalton Bolon accounted for 11 rebounds. The Hilltoppers converted 39 points off 23 Battlers turnovers. West Liberty scored 30 more points in the paint against AB (62-32).
No. 8 West Liberty will hit the road for a top-25 showdown Wednesday evening as it will face off against No. 23 Fairmont State. Alderson Broaddus will head down to the capital city as it will face the University of Charleston Wednesday evening.