FROSTBURG, Md. – The Frostburg State men's basketball team jumped out to a big first half lead but could not maintain it in a heartbreaking 79-76 loss to St. Mary's (Md.) in Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) play Saturday afternoon at Bobcat Arena.
The game was a tale of two halves for Frostburg (4-4, 2-2), who sank 20-of-33 (60.6%) in the first half with five three-pointers. St. Mary's (2-6, 1-3) did its damage in the second half, shooting 58.1% (18-of-31) from the floor.
Junior Edwin Cole had one of his best showings of the year with a season-high 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Cole also grabbed 10 rebounds and recorded his second double-double of the season.
Sophomore Lawrence Pettis, Jr. added 14 points and dished out a team-high seven assists while senior Jordan Johnson posted 12 points for his third double-digit scoring output of the season. Senior Dalton Gaus rounded out the double-figure scorers for Frostburg with 10 points and five rebounds.
A three-pointer from Gaus at 13:16 gave Frostburg its first lead of the afternoon. A jump shot from senior Darren Campbell started a 15-0 scoring run for the Bobcats, who led 34-18 with 5:42 showing on the first half clock. Campbell finished with five points, four rebounds and one steal in eight minutes.
A pair of foul shots by Pettis gave Frostburg a 47-25 edge with 1:30 remaining in the first half. The 22-point lead was the largest of the day for either team.
Frostburg struggled offensively in the second half with just nine field goals and two three-pointers. The Seahawks rallied back to take a 73-71 lead with just 1:34 left in the contest. A pair of free throws by Cole tied the score at 73 and a three from Pettis cut the Bobcats deficit to just one (77-76), but the visitors held on to secure the win at the foul line.
St. Mary's was paced by Spencer Schultz, who posted a game-high 20 points. Matt Ayoub poured in 19 while Ochae Bynum had 15 on the afternoon.
The Bobcats return to the floor on Wednesday, December 20 for a non-conference road game at Eastern Mennonite with tipoff slated for 7:00 p.m.
For up-to-date game information, including live stats and video streaming, visit frostburgsports.com.
