FROSTBURG, Md. – Frostburg State trailed by as many as 14 points in the second half and by 13 inside the final five minutes of play, but a frenzied comeback attempt fell short for the Bobcats as they suffered an 84-83 loss to Southern Virginia, Wednesday night.
 
FSU had a three-game winning streak snapped with the loss, but the Bobcats didn't go down without an intense effort.
 
The Knights (5-9, 4-3) turned a 38-34 halftime cushion into a 14-point lead, 68-54 with 7:25 left in the game. Kevin Walker knocked down two free throws at 4:51 as SVU held a substantial 75-62 lead. One minute later, Southern Virginia led 78-67 after a pair of Anders Jacobson foul shots.
 
Frostburg answered with three quick layups, two from sophomore Tyler Michael and one from senior Shawn Henson to narrow the gap to 78-73 with 2:49 showing.
 
Michael and fellow sophomore Dalton Gaus further cut into SVU's lead with back-to-back three-pointers at 2:22 and 1:04. Senior Nick Smoot pulled the bobcats even closer with a layup at 00:41 and a jumper with 19 seconds remaining.
 
Southern Virginia was called for a travel on its final possession of the game with 10 seconds left giving Frostburg one final chance.
 
After a timeout, Michael drove to the hoop from the left side of the court but his game-winning shot caromed off the rim as time expired.
 
Michael and Henson each scored 25 points to pace Frostburg offensively as both finished with 10 baskets from the field. Henson added 5-of-8 free throws, while Michael knocked down two three-pointers. Smoot finished with a double-double, 11 points and 12 assists. His 12 helpers are good for seventh all-time in a single game.
 
Despite the loss, Frostburg shot a season-high 50.8 percent from the field and tied a season-high with 31 made baskets. However, the Bobcats were just 4-of-19 from three-point range after averaging 9.2 three's per contest during the last five contests.
 
Jacobson and David Baety provided a solid one-two punch for SVU as they scored 27 and 21 points, respectively. Jacobson also grabbed 10 rebounds, while Cale Thornton contributed 13 points.
 
The first half featured nine lead changes and three ties. Frostburg held a handful of three-point cushions and Southern Virginia led as many as seven before holding the four-point lead at intermission.
 
Frostburg returns to action this Saturday at Wesley at 3:00 pm.