WHEELING, W. Va. – The Frostburg State men's basketball team fell to the Wheeling Cardinals by a score of 92-81 on the road Saturday afternoon.

There was a lot at stake going into the matchup, as both teams are battling for a spot in the MEC playoffs with now two games remaining.

The Bobcats started the game off strong with redshirt Junior Jason Murphy scoring the first basket of the game in the first minute. Wheeling's Marcus Johnson immediately answered back with a layup of his own making the score 2-2 before FSU locked down defensively and went on a seven-point run within the next three minutes of the game to take a 10-3 lead. Junior Tairell Fletcher, making his return to the lineup after a few games out, subbed in and made an impact with four points and three rebounds in quick succession. In the ninth minute of the game, the Cardinals could not miss and tied the score at 14 apiece. A basket each was traded, but Wheeling went on a 10-point run to go up 26-16. Junior Sean Brown Jr. and senior Jamil Jones stopped the run with four combined points, but FSU struggled to finish around the basket, while WU continued to make their shots. Over the final six minutes of the half, graudate Juston Bailey scored Frostburg's six of the team's seven points, while the Cardinals scored 13 to take a commanding 42-26 halftime lead.

The Bobcats played tremendous team basketball in the first 10 minutes of the second half, as Murphy, graduates Vincent Smalls and Bo Schene, and seniors Agyei Edwards and Jaylon Johnson all contributed buckets to cut the deficit to one point at 61-60, a run in which FSU held WU to just one field goal over nearly six minutes. Wheeling finally found a response on offense and again put in the work defensively, sitting more comfortably at 74-65 with just under five minutes to play. Murphy, Jones, and Fletcher worked the score back to 78-75 with just over two minutes on the clock, looking to pull off the improbably comeback. The Cardinals would not allow it to happen on their home court, however, as they scored on their final eight possessions, while the Bobcats managed just six points the rest of the way to hand the hosts the 92-81 win. 

Fletcher led all scorers with 18 points off the bench, joined in double figures by Edwards (16), Murphy (13), and Smalls (11). Murphy also added a team-high nine rebounds and a block, with Fletcher contributing seven boards. 

With the loss, the Bobcats move to 8-18 and the Cardinals are now 6-20 on the season. The teams are tied in the conference 4-16 and are both fighting for the tenth spot in the MEC playoffs. FSU will be back in action Wednesday, February 22, as they take on Davis and Elkins at home for a 7:30p.m. tip-off. For more information visit frostburgsports.com.