FROSTBURG, Md. – The Frostburg State Men's Basketball team used an outpouring of offense in a dominant 102-81 victory at home over Mansfield on Tuesday evening.
The Bobcats began the contest with a mid-range jumper by junior Tairell Fletcher, but the Mountaineers responded with a pair of threes to take a 6-4 lead inside three minutes. FSU then locked down defensively, holding MU without a field goal for five minutes and surged ahead offensively. Fletcher, senior Agyei Edwards, and redshirt junior Jason Murphy couldn't seem to miss, as the trio combined for 12 points in a three-minute span. Frostburg then lit up from downtown, as graduate Juston Bailey drained one followed by a pair of triples by Edwards before Fletcher took a steal coast-to-coast for an easy layup as the lead ballooned to 27-9.
Mansfield finally stopped their offensive drought with a short jumper, but the Bobcats were just getting started, as Edwards and Fletcher went a perfect 4-of-4 from the line, followed by another Edwards three and a pair from the charity stripe by graduate Bo Schene to put the score at 36-11. The Mounties got six points, including four freebies to try and get a foothold in the game, but Edwards and Fletcher made back-to-back buckets and junior Sean Brown, Jr. launched one from distance, as did Fletcher, for a commanding 30-point lead.
To their credit, MU didn't lie down quietly, going on a 12-2 spurt by consistently getting into the lane to get within 10 points. Murphy drew a late foul and was able to convert both makes at the line, as FSU took a 50-28 lead into the break.
Coming out of halftime, defense was optional as both offenses were on fire, combining for a total of 30 points before the first media timeout of the second half, with the score standing at 67-41 Frostburg after a Schene three. Mansfield mustered their best to try and get back into the contest, finally bringing the deficit to under 20 with 11 and a half minutes remaining. The Bobcats thwarted any attempt of a comeback each time they got into their halfcourt offense, with Murphy making a pair of free throws followed by Bailey hitting a three and converting his own free throws to maintain an 83-61 lead.
The Mounties continued to battle, bringing the game all the way to within 14 points, but with just two and a half minutes remaining at that point, the result was all but finalized. Fletcher stayed locked in with a speedy layup, then Schene fed senior Marcellus Carroll for an easy dunk. Senior Torrin Stepehens and freshman Dylan Long were perfect at the charity stripe late on, each making their pair either side of a Brown, Jr. layup to finish the scoring at 102-81.
Fletcher and Edwards were the driving forced offensively, with 26 and 25 points, respectively, as Fletcher and Schene tied the game-high with four assists apiece. Murphy had a double-double for his efforts with 12 points and 11 rebounds to go along with five massive blocks.
With the victory, Frostburg improves to 4-7 on the year, while Mansfield falls to 2-4. The Bobcats have a couple-week break before returning to action on Friday, December 30 at District of Columbia, with tip-off set for 1 p.m. Information and updates will be posted at frostburgsports.com.
