INSTITUTE, W. Va. – For the second consecutive game, sophomore Trey Simmons scored a last-second bucket in leading the Frostburg State Men's Basketball team to a victory, defeating West Virginia State 78-76 on the road Saturday.
 
Redshirt freshman DJ Daniel began the game with a pair of made free throws, however that would be FSU's only points through the first four minutes, as WVSU scored eight unanswered to lead by six. Over the next four minutes, it would be the Bobcats' turn to go on a run, as Daniel netted layups either side of scores by sophomore Christopher Meakin and redshirt sophomore Blake Burrows, while Simmons got to the rim to put Frostburg up 12-10.
 
The sides then traded scores, as WV State had back-to-back threes while a Burrows steal led to a lay-in by freshman Mitch Finefrock, followed by Daniel converting an and-one as the hosts narrowly led 18-17 at the 10-minute mark. Junior Zane McCarty and Simmons then took over the offense, scoring the next 11 FSU points, however the Yellow Jackets were there every step of the way, as another deep make and a jumper gave the hosts a four-point advantage.
 
Within a 90-second stretch, Daniel netted back-to-back baskets, helped out by a McCarty block, as Simmons then hit a layup and a pull-up triple to take a 37-32 lead. Inside the final two minutes of the half, WVSU cut the deficit down to one with two straight buckets, however Finefrock fed McCarty for three before being found for a wide-open layup by Simmons as Frostburg led 42-36 at the break.
 
Simmons netted the first bucket of the second period to push FSU's advantage to eight, however WVSU scored on each of their first six possessions, including three consecutive treys that put them ahead 51-48. Burrows was able to get to the cup for a score but the Yellow Jackets kept rolling, netting an and-one, a dunk, and another three to push the lead to six. Graduate Kyle Whippen gave new life to the Frostburg offense, scoring either side of a WV State basket, then fired a pass to Simmons for a deep make to pull within 61-60 with 10 minutes to go.
 
The hosts had several chances to extend the lead but missed three consecutive shots while Finefrock made his first triple of the game off a Simmons feed to go up by two. With eight and a half minutes left, WVSU hit four consecutive freebies while Simmons found his range once more, then Whippen and Finefrock both went perfect from the stripe, with the latter also driving into the lane following a McCarty steal to pull ahead 72-67.
 
It would be the three-point line again bringing the Yellow Jackets back into the game, hitting back-to-back before a spinning jumper with three minutes left put them ahead 75-72. Simmons then rose high on a driving slam dunk, while Jaylen Subject could only convert one of his two free throws, leaving the score at 76-74 with 90 seconds to go. Out of a WVSU timeout, Simmons was able to get to the basket and tie the game, while Subject came up just short in trying to give his team the late lead. Whippen pulled down the rebound as the Bobcats played without calling a timeout, getting the ball to Simmons on the right wing as he drove in and hit a lay-in off the glass for the go-ahead score with 14 seconds left. Also not wanting to let the defense set, the Yellow Jackets drove down the floor, as McCarty's defense forced a loose ball and a desperation heave from beyond the arc, as the ball bounced off the rim and was corralled by Finefrock as the clock hit zero on the 78-76 win.
 
Simmons led the FSU offense with a game-high 29 points, joined in double figures by Daniel's 15. Whippen finished one point shy of a double-double with nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
 
With the win, Frostburg improves to 6-5 on the year, while West Virginia State drops to 4-7. FSU will remain on the road as they travel to West Liberty on Wednesday, January 7 at 7:30 p.m. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.