FROSTBURG, Md. – The Frostburg State men's basketball team defeated the Eastern Mennonite Royals, 89-75, on Thursday afternoon behind 14 blocked shots, tying the school record for most in a game which was set in 2014.
 
Senior Edwin Cole led the team with nine blocks, just one off the individual record that was set by Zachary Coalmon, who blocked 10 shots on two separate occasions.
 
Frostburg started the afternoon's action with a 10-1 run to open up an early lead five minutes into the first half, with junior Daniel Alexander leading the early charge with five points.
 
The Royals brought their deficit to within five points with just over three minutes remaining in the half after a successful three-pointer from senior Travis Clower cut the Frostburg lead to 35-30. Cole helped the Bobcats pull away, laying in a basket and drawing a successful free throw and following that with another layup to put his team up by 10.
 
Going into the halftime locker room, the Bobcats held a 42-36 lead. Cole led the way for Frostburg with 15 points, six rebounds and five blocks in the first frame, while Alexander and junior Terry Kenner followed him with eight points each. Clower led the Royals with nine points.
 
Eastern Mennonite came out of the locker room firing, as they came to within one point of the lead with 10:54 remaining in the game. The Bobcats pulled away again however, after a Kenner three-pointer kicked off a 9-2 run. The Royals wouldn't get that close to the lead for the remainder of the game.
 
Any momentum the Royals may have had trying to come back from a 77-69 deficit with under three minutes to play was lost after Alexander shot up a good three-pointer. The Royals' following possession ended early after a Kenner steal, setting up a break-away dunk from Cole, capping off his game with an exclamation point. The game ended with a final score of 89-75 in favor of the Bobcats.
 
To go along with his nine blocks, Cole finished with a double-double, scoring 20 points and bringing down 13 rebounds. Alexander led Frostburg with 21 points and Kenner added season-high 20 points. Clower led the Royals with 15 points, while senior center Sammy Thomas had a double-double of his own with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
 
The Bobcats will return to the court against Roanoke on Saturday, December 29 at 12:00 p.m. to kick off Roanoke College's Cregger Invitational.