FROSTBURG, Md. – Frostburg State finished with three players in double figures, but it wasn't enough as the Bobcats suffered an 85-76 loss to Washington, Monday night.
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Michael has led the Bobcats (1-4) in scoring four of five contests this season and he finished the game against the Shoreman (2-2) with 23 points on 10-of-17 shooting (58.8%).
Freshman Rhashad Johnson was second for Frostburg with a season-high 17 points behind a game-high five three-pointers. He entered the contest with 15 points in three previous games. He also had three assists and two steals.
Junior Dalton Gaus was FSU's third player in double figures as he totaled 12 points and three assits.
Michael and Gaus scored 22 of Frostburg's 38 first-half points and they helped the Bobcats to an eight-point cushion, 18-10 with 14:05 left in the first half. The Bobcats grabbed the lead with a quick 7-0 spurt that ended with a layup from freshman Lawrence Pettis, Jr.
Moments later, Johnson connected on his first three-pointer of the evening as Frostburg again led by eight, 23-15.
WC made a late run to knot things at 36 before junior Christopher Coston hit a layup with 33 seconds showing to give the Bobcats a 38-36 lead at intermission.
Washington opened the second half with two baskets for a 39-38 lead and it never trailed again.
The Bobcats kept WC from pulling away and kept the deficit at one in the opening six minutes. Michael hit a three-pointer at 16:03, freshman Dexter Pelap at 15:09 and Michael later made a layup at 14:47 to keep Frostburg within one point.
A quick run and Washington extended its lead to nine, 58-49, before Frostburg again rebounded to trail by just one, 60-59 with 8:00 to play. Johnson hit two three-pointers and a layup during the run.
From there, Washington pushed its lead back to nine 70-61 and never allowed Frostburg to make another run. Tas Dixon knocked down two free throws inside the final minute for the 85-76 final.
The Shoreman finished with five players in double figures and were led by James Drury with 17. Dixon contributed 13.
Frostburg is back in action on Wednesday when it visits Mary Washington at 8:00 pm.
