FROSTBURG, Md. – Frostburg State let a late first-half lead slowly slip away en route to a 79-69 setback in its season opener against Bethany, Saturday evening.

Box Score

Bethany (1-0) had four of five starters in double figures and it erased a five-point deficit with just over a minute to go in the opening half. The Bison shot 46.7 percent in the second half as they outscored the Bobcats (0-1) 39-29.

Delonte Joyce scored 14 of his game-high 27 points in the second half as the Bison led by as many as 12, twice in the second stanza. Leslie Addy posted a double-double with 19 points and 19 rebounds that powered Bethany to a 52-38 rebounding advantage.

Frostburg sophomore Royce Hunsberger led the team with 16 points, including a team-high 11 points in the first half. FSU used a 10-1 run over a five-minute stretch to erase a nine-point deficit and tie the game at 25-25. The lead changed hands five more times over the final 5:26 of the first half, until a late Bethany three-pointer sent the contest into intermission at 40-40.

In the second half, Bethany slowly built a double-digit lead (64-52) with just over 10 minutes to play in regulation. Frostburg narrowed the gap to seven in the closing minutes, but the Bison extended their lead back to 12 with seven seconds left.

Junior James Peters finished second on the roster in scoring with 14, while classmate Torrell Goodman contributed 10.

Frostburg returns to action next at Randolph College on Monday at 7:00 pm.