FROSTBURG, Md. – The Frostburg State Men's Basketball team fell in a tough 101-84 loss against No. 17 Fairmont State Saturday afternoon.

The Falcons started things with an early jump shot that graduate Kyle Whippen answered, as he cut through the lane, netting a layup before sophomore Christopher Meakin got a putback and CJ Meredith sunk a three for the visitors to hold a 5-4 lead. Both teams traded layups, as redshirt freshman DJ Daniel landed one from in the paint before Fairmont made a bucket and a triple to go up by six, to which Meakin threw down a slam, narrowing the deficit to four. A pair of layups in between three consecutive Falcon threes put them up by eight before sophomore Trey Simmons netted a mid-range jumper and a triple, then he found junior Vilius Slanina for a corner three, tying the game at 20-20 seven minutes in.

The sides traded trips to the line as Fairmont got into the paint of three possessions, getting a pair of layups and two free throws, while the Bobcats answered with Simmons hitting freshman Mitch Finefrock for three before getting to the rim for a 28-27 Falcon lead. Simmons continued to be Frostburg's provider on offense, assisting Daniel on a trey and Whippen for a driving dunk, but Fairmont knocked down back-to-back shots from behind the arc to lead by five. Daniel earned a layup in transition while Meakin converted at the line, however the Falcons came right back again with two lay-ins and another triple, attempting to pull away late in the half. In the last minute, Simmons netted a pair of threes either side of another by Fairmont to keep the score close at 47-44.

To start out the second half, Fairmont quickly went up by seven on a three and a split trip to the line, to which Finefrock and Meakin responded with a jumper and a trey, respectively, to stay within two. The Falcons wouldn't get slowed down from behind the arc, netting three triples in just over a minute, one of them being a four-point play, as Frostburg made a pair between Simmons and Daniel but still trailed 63-55 following a David Jolinder dunk. Whippen split a pair of trips to the line while Fairmont continued to hit their range, as two more put them ahead 70-57 with six minutes gone. Simmons then netted a jump shot and a corner three, while Whippen was found by Slanina for a layup and another free throw, cutting the deficit to nine. 

The sides traded a basket each over two minutes, with redshirt sophomore Blake Burrows getting in the paint for a putback, however the following pair of minutes belonged to Fairmont. On four consecutive possessions, the Falcons got either a basket or were fouled, going on a 9-0 run to lead 85-67 with eight minutes to go. Both teams did much of their scoring at the line over the next three minutes, combining for nine free throws, while Meakin landed a lay-in for the Bobcats. Fairmont's high scoring continued with another quick 7-0 run to give them their largest lead at 97-73 with three minutes on the clock. Junior Zane McCarty got some offense off the bench, netting a jump shot and a three, while Whippen had three consecutive layups to make the final score 101-84. 

Simmons led the team with 27 points, seven assists, and three steals, while Whippen secured a double-double of 13 points and 10 boards. Daniel (16) and Meakin (11) each reached double-digit figures on the day, as the former also tied his career high with three blocks.

With the loss, Frostburg falls to 10-8 as Fairmont improves to 14-3 on the year. The Bobcats are back on the road as they face Glenville State on Wednesday, January 28 at 7:30 PM. For more information, please visit frostburgsports.com.