FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – The Frostburg men's basketball team saw its 2017-18 campaign come to a close on Tuesday night in the first round of the CAC Tournament with an 82-78 road loss at Mary Washington.
 
Frostburg (11-15) twice trailed by 16 points in the second half and methodically clawed its way back into the ballgame in the waning minutes.
 
The Bobcats used an 11-2 run starting at 7:58 that ended on a senior Darren Campbell three-pointer at 6:10 as FSU pulled to within three, 66-63.
 
The Eagles (19-7) answered by extending their cushion back to nine, 72-63 with 4:18 showing.
 
However, Frostburg had one final surge as sophomore Daniel Alexander knocked down a three-pointer with 1:29 to play that pulled the visitors to within four, 75-71. With 37 seconds showing, sophomore Lawrence Pettis, Jr. stole a pass and made a layup that pulled Frostburg to within a basket again at 77-74.
 
Senior Tyler Michael tipped in a missed layup with 18 seconds left to close to within four and Alexander made two foul shots with nine seconds left to get it to two, 80-78.
 
Mary Washington's A.J. Robinson was fouled after Alexander's foul shots, but he missed both of his free throws to give Frostburg one final chance to tie or take the lead.
 
The Bobcats called timeout with three seconds to play, but were unable to get a shot off following the stoppage and the Eagles sealed the win with two foul shots from Khiorie Stewart with one second left.
 
Junior Edwin Cole posted career-highs in both points (25) and rebounds (17) to go along with four blocks. Alexander finished with 13, while Pettis scored 11 with eight assists and five steals. Michael scored 10 points and handed out four assists.
 
The tournament matchup with the Eagles marks the end of an era for the Bobcats as 19^th-year head coach Webb Hatch announced prior to the season that he would retire following the '17-18 campaign.
 
During his tenure, Hatch has guided Frostburg to 218 wins, including 44 in the CAC. Tuesday night's contest also marked the 13^th time that Hatch has led the Bobcats to the postseason.
 
"Our kids had a great comeback tonight," said Hatch. "We cut it to two with nine seconds left and we didn't quit. The guys kept playing hard. We were able to rally because our defense improved throughout the game."
 
"Edwin Cole really played well tonight and kept us in the game in the first half," added Hatch. We did a much better job on the glass in the second half with 15 offensive rebounds."
 
The game also served as the final contest in a Bobcat uniform for five seniors; Campbell and Michael along with Christopher Coston, Jordan Johnson, Jeffrey McMorris and Dalton Gaus.
 
Frostburg handed out 20 assists on 29 baskets and turned 17 offensive rebounds into 11 points. The Bobcats shot 49.2 percent from the field and made five three-pointers.
 
Six players finished in double-figures for Mary Washington. Eric Shaw led the hosts with 20 points, while Robinson added 13. The Eagles entered the contest as the CAC leader in three-pointers per game at 9.4 and they finished with eight.
 
Mary Washington advances to face top-seed Christopher Newport on Thursday in the semifinals.
 
Both teams shot the ball extremely well in the first half and UMW emerged with a 43-35 halftime cushion. Mary Washington led by as many as 14 in the opening half before Frostburg cut it to eight at the break.