BUCKHANNON, W. Va.- Frostburg State Men's Basketball earned their first victory of the season with a hard-fought 85-81 win over West Virginia Wesleyan on the road Saturday evening.
 
FSU started quickly out of the gate, as juniors Agyei Edwards and Bo Schene helped Frostburg to an early 22-14 lead. Senior Desmond Rene then got in on the action, helping to push the lead to 39-27 with six and a half minutes left in the first half. WVWC would claw their way back, however, and go on a 15-4 run to get back to within one point at 43-42 going into halftime.
 
One of Frostburg's biggest highlights of the game came four and a half minutes into the second half, as a missed three-pointer from graduate Canaan Bartley was followed up on a putback jam by junior Micheal Tate Jr. to put FSU ahead by five at 53-48. Wesleyan again would not go away quietly, as they pushed their own six-point lead at 73-67 with just under eight minutes remaining.
 
With WVWC ahead 79-74 at the four-minute mark, Tate Jr. started the Frostburg comeback with a pair of free throws to get back within three. After both teams turned the ball over on a couple of possessions, Tate Jr. hit a three off the bounce to knot the score at 79 apiece. A jumper from Schene put FSU ahead by two, then after Wesleyan equalized, junior Juston Bailey hit a much-needed floater to go up 83-81 with 1:25 remaining. WVWC failed to score on their next possession, but a Frostburg turnover led to a fastbreak where a foul meant Jayden Hibbitt had a one-and-one to tie the score back up for Wesleyan with nine seconds left. He missed the front end and Tate Jr. grabbed the rebound, drawing a foul to put him at the line to ice the game. He knocked in both free throws, putting FSU ahead 85-81, as a desperation three at the buzzer was missed by WVWC, giving Frostburg their first win of the year.
 
Edwards led FSU in scoring (20), rebounds (7), and assists (4), while Bartley chipped in with 18 points, six boards and a pair of steals in his first action of the year. Tate Jr. and Rene both finished with 15 points and Schene had 11 key points off the bench.
 
The victory puts Frostburg at 1-3 on the year, while Wesleyan falls to 1-3. FSU is back in action at home on Tuesday, November 23 to take on Davis & Elkins with a newly renovated floor at Bobcat Arena. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m., for information and updates stay tuned at frostburgsports.com.