CLEVELAND, Ohio – Senior Tyler Michael poured in a career-best 34 points, and scored his 1,000^th career point in the process as the Frostburg State men's basketball team outlasted Case Western Reserve in double-overtime 115-107.
 
In 41 minutes of action, Michael connected on 15 of his 22 shots, grabbed 11 rebounds and handed out three assists in the victory.
 
The Bobcats shot 48.9 percent from the field and finished 8-22 on three-point attempts. Frostburg (1-0) piled up 10 steals and nine blocks while limiting Case Western Reserve (0-1) to 38.4 percent shooting on the evening.
 
After a back-and-forth first twelve minutes, Frostburg called timeout trailing 30-23. The Bobcats responded with an 11-0 run with junior Edwin Cole scoring six points, including a dunk to give the Bobcats the lead. The teams traded baskets the rest of the quarter, and Frostburg held a slim 44-43 advantage at the half.
 
The Bobcats extended their lead to 65-59 with 11:54 to play in the second half thanks to five straight points from Michael and a free throw from sophomore Lawrence Pettis Jr. Michael connected on another three to put FSU up six less than a minute later.
 
Senior Jordan Johnson's converted a three to extend the Frostburg lead to 84-77 with 4:11 to play in regulation, and Michael's layup with 2:49 left kept the Bobcat lead at seven. Case Western tied the game at 90 with nine seconds remaining in the fourth, and Michael's game-winning attempt missed the mark.
 
In overtime, the Bobcats faced a six-point deficit as Case Western opened up scoring eight of the frame's first ten points. Michael converted a pair of jump shots, followed by a pair of free-throws from Pettis, and Frostburg cut the deficit to  just three (101-98) with six seconds to play in overtime. Johnson knocked down the game-tying three from Pettis to force a second overtime.
 
In the second overtime, Pettis' three-pointer with 1:57 to play gave Frostburg a three-point advantage it would never relinquish. The Bobcats made seven of eight free throws in the final 90 seconds to seal the hard-fought road victory.
 
Pettis also netted a career-high of 23 points, handed out five assists, collected a team-best four steals and grabbed three rebounds in 42 minutes of work. Johnson contributed 18 points off the bench with five rebounds and three assists.
 
Sophomore Daniel Alexander played 42 minutes and added 14 points on 6-10 shooting with nine rebounds. Cole fortified the team's efforts on the glass, hauling in 10 rebounds to go with eight points and four blocks.  
 
The Bobcats held a plus-seven advantage in the turnover department by only giving the ball up 13 times in 50 minutes of action, while the Spartans registered 20 turnovers.
 
The Bobcats' 115 points in the victory are the most scored by a Frostburg men's basketball team since it scored 128 points against Mt. Aloysius in 2005.
 
The Bobcats advance to the 2017 Stephanie Tubbs Jones Memorial Tournament Championship game against Montclair State. Tip-off is slated for 4:00 p.m.