FROSTBURG, Md. – Despite a strong first half, the Frostburg State men's basketball team was unable to stay with No. 25 Virginia Wesleyan in the second half, as it fell to VWC 88-74.

Box Score

The Bobcats fall to 0-4 as they were unable to capture their first win of the season, while the Marlins remained undefeated at 3-0.

The first half was a tightly contested back-and-forth affair, as it featured three lead changes and two ties. Frostburg shot 40 percent from the field to Virginia Wesleyan's 39.3 percent in the first half, while the Marlins shot 5-for-10 from behind the arc compared to 2-for-7 for the Bobcats. VWC also attempted 10 free throws in the first half, converting nine, while FSU went 1-for-2 at the line. Neither team led by more than six points in the half, as the Marlins took a five-point advantage into halftime at 36-31.

The Bobcats quickly closed the gap to two when junior Jabari Kamau converted a layup to make the score 38-36 at 18:37 remaining in the second half. 

Led by Kamau's eight points in the first 6:31 of the second half, Frostburg was able to hang with VWC. Kamau's layup at 13:29 left in the half pulled FSU within four at 48-44.

That was as close as the Bobcats would get, as the Marlins then went on an 18-5 run over the next 5:26 to extend the lead to 17 points at 66-49.

Frostburg pushed hard to close the gap, but was unable to get the deficit back to single digits. The final score came to 88-74 in favor of Virginia Wesleyan.

Three Bobcats finished the game in double figures. Kamau led the team with 19 points, followed by senior Aaron Bellamy with 16 and sophomore Nick Smoot with 11. Kamau also led the team with seven rebounds, and he converted all three of his free throw attempts. 

VWC senior guard DJ Woodmore was one of four players in double figures for the Marlins. He finished with a double-double with 10 rebounds and a game-high 24 points.

The Bobcats had a tough time securing boards, as they were outrebounded 50-35 by the Marlins. This led to a 25-10 advantage for VWC in second-chance points. VWC also held a decisive 41-19 edge in points off the bench. 

Frostburg will try to get its first win of the season when it hosts Shenandoah on Tuesday at 8:00 pm at Bobcat Arena.