FROSTBURG, Md. – The Frostburg State Men's Basketball team used a balanced scoring attack to defeat West Virginia Wesleyan 105-83 at home on Wednesday evening.
FSU began the game quickly, as sophomore Trey Simmons took the opening tip directly to the hoop, then redshirt freshman DJ Daniel drove the lane for the first four points. WVWC got on the board with a lay-in and a three, however Daniel found graduate Kyle Whippen for a lay-in and freshman Mitch Finefrock nailed back-to-back treys to push up to a 12-5 lead with five minutes gone.
The sides then went back-and-forth over a minute-long stretch, each hitting a three and a layup with Frostburg still leading by seven. It would be another three minutes for the next FSU score, as Wesleyan took advantage of a steal followed by a pair at the line, with Finefrock ending the drought on another deep make. Back-to-back WVWC buckets brought them all the way back to within two, but junior Vilius Slanina was found behind the arc by Whippen to stay at arms' length 23-18 with just under eight on the clock.
WV Wesleyan kept staying within a one-possession game over the next three minutes, responding to a Simmons free throw and sophomore Christopher Meakin laying one in. At the 4:30 mark, Simmons nailed a left-wing three while getting fouled, completing the rare four-point play that kicked off Frostburg's offense. Whippen got things started on the defensive end with a monster block before being found in transition by Daniel, then Simmons and Meakin combined to go a perfect 6-of-6 at the line to suddenly make it a 12-point game.
WVWC looked to regain some momentum through a three-pointer and a layup but FSU set up some press defense that resulted in a dominant end to the half. Whippen got things started with a trip to the line, then Daniel swiftly netted a steal-and-score before Simmons swiped the ball away and Whippen slammed down a putback dunk to go into the half with a 44-31 lead.
The hot offense continued into the second period, as Simmons fed Meakin for three before Whippen was found by Daniel under the basket, who in turn knocked down from deep on a Finefrock assist, growing the advantage up to 52-36 within the first minute and a half. Frostburg's defense continued the momentum with Whippen tallying another block and Finefrock coming up with a steal that led to Daniel throwing down a putback jam and passing to Finefrock for another trey and a 21-point lead.
Wesleyan tried to stem things with back-to-back lay-ins, but Simmons and Daniel converted from the charity stripe before junior Zane McCarty and the latter knocked in a pair from the behind the arc to keep a healthy 67-47 score. Whippen then split a trip to the line before Daniel stole the ball and threw one down on the break, giving FSU their largest lead at 23. Meakin and Simmons proceeded to go three-of-four from the line before the former had one of the highlights of the day, driving down the paint on a pass from Whippen and rising high for a slam.
Each team continued to trade back-and-forth, as Whippen netted an and-one, McCarty got a putback to go, and Daniel was found by Meakin on a driving layup, with back-to-back Wesleyan baskets getting their deficit down to 16 with seven and a half to go. A quick six-point run though a Simmons layup and Daniel's free throws and dunk put the advantage back above 20 before sophomore Brady Walters got in on the action with an easy lay-in.
The next five points went to the visitors, however Daniel scored off an offensive board and Simmons knocked down a jab-step three. Whippen swatted away another shot, which eventually led to the play of the game, as Simmons cut hard through the lane and dunked on nearly the entire WVWC defense, bringing the bench and the crowd onto their feet. In the final three minutes, redshirt sophomore Cash Herndon knocked down a pair of smooth baseline jumpers, while Simmons got to the line and freshman Kyle Kovich added a layup, with Wesleyan putting in the final six points for the 105-82 final.
Five Frostburg players reached double-digit scoring, led by Daniel's 26 on 10-of-13 shooting from the floor, as he fell just a rebound short of his second triple-double of the season, going for 10 assists and nine boards as well as three steals. Simmons (22), Finefrock (15), Whippen (14), and Meakin (12) and chipped in offensively, while Whippen's five blocks set a career-high on the defensive end.
With the win, FSU improves to 10-7 on the year, while Wesleyan drops to 1-15. Frostburg will remain at home to host No. 17 Fairmont State on Saturday, January 24, with the time to be determined. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.
