FROSTBURG, Md. – The Frostburg State Men's Basketball team fell just shy in their upset bid against No. 7 West Liberty 112-108 on Wednesday night.
 
FSU came out of the blocks with some quick scoring while also overcoming the vaunted Hilltopper press, as redshirt freshman DJ Daniel and graduate Kyle Whippen made a pair of layups while freshman Mitch Finefrock knocked down a pair of triples to take a 10-4 lead after two minutes. WLU settled themselves in splitting a trip to the line to go with a driving layup and a three, swiftly pulling back within two.
 
Both sides netted their next points at the line, then Simmons drove the lane and fed graduate Chase Whippen from behind the arc to go back up 19-14 at the first media timeout. The Bobcats kept up their offensive pressure, as Daniel was found cutting to the rim by Chase Whippen, then Kyle Whippen found Simmons for a deep make and a double-digit lead. Kyle Whippen scored four in a row through a lay-in and a trip to the stripe, then his brother and junior Vilius Slanina went for back-to-back layups and a stunning 32-18 score.
 
West Liberty looked to restore their order and got back within single digits through a three, layup, and split free throws, but Simmons got to the rim and Finefrock knocked down another from deep to stay up by 13. With nine minutes still left in the half, Kyle Whippen stuffed a shot that led to a layup on a pass from his brother, who also assisted Finefrock for his fourth triple, then Daniel got to the line to push the lead all the way up to 44-28.
 
After 12 minutes had passed, WLU finally kicked into full gear, scoring on each of their next six possessions while limiting the Bobcats to just one putback by Kyle Whippen, all part of a 14-2 run that suddenly brought the visitors within 46-42. The Hilltoppers failed to get any closer, however, as a missed shot and turnover led to each team splitting at the line, then the Whippens combined for four in a row and a bit of breathing space at an eight-point lead.
 
Following a pair of West Liberty freebies, Daniel was fouled behind the arc, knocking down all three before feeding redshirt sophomore Blake Burrows on a drive to extend the advantage to 56-45. Throughout the final three minutes, the teams went back-and-forth, as Daniel netted seven of the final ten Bobcat points, while also assisting Finefrock on his fifth trey of the half, while WLU was able to net a pair of layups and free throws to bring the score to 66-51 at the conclusion of the half.
 
Coming out of the break, the high-scoring continued through the first two minutes, as Chase Whippen hit a three after Daniel stole the opening possession, then Kyle Whippen slammed home and Finefrock coasted for a layup, all a result of Simmons' assists, however the Hilltoppers responded every step of the way to stay within 15. FSU went scoreless through the next three and a half minutes, allowing West Liberty to net eight unanswered and pull to within 73-66.
 
Simmons finally hit from mid-range and fed Finefrock for three, with the former then answering a WLU three with an old-fashioned and-one, staying up by 10. A pair of layups and three combined free throws by the visitors kept them hanging around, as Frostburg tried to find offense through Chase Whippen at the line and Simmons driving the lane to lead 85-78. Still riding with their momentum, the Hilltoppers scored four in a row while Simmons tried to keep the Bobcats afloat on a pull-up three, but another pair at the line by the visitors brought them within four at the midway point.
 
Continuing to be the FSU driving force, Simmons fed Kyle Whippen for a dunk before hitting another triple and a layup, pushing the lead out to 95-89. West Liberty locked down defensively, holding Frostburg without a basket for two and a half minutes while scoring eight in a row to take their first lead at 97-95. The sides proceeded to go back-and-forth, as Daniel hit a pair of buckets either side of Kyle Whippen getting to the line, with Simmons then knocking down a long two to stay within 104-103.
 
Entering the final three minutes, WLU drove for another layup with both sides then going scoreless until the 41 second mark. Daniel was fouled again on an attempted three, however this time he could only hit one of his attempts, leaving the Hilltoppers up by four. After the visitors split their next trip, Chase Whippen got a putback to go with 27 seconds on the clock to stay alive. West Liberty converted both of their next freebies, then a costly Bobcat turnover nearly sealed the game. Three of the next four from the stripe went in, as Chase Whippen hit a late layup that put the final score at 112-108.
 
Five Bobcats all reached double figures, led by Simmons' 27 and followed by Daniel (21), Finefrock (20), and each Whippen netting 18 apiece. Simmons also added a career-high 11 assists for a double-double while also swiping a trio of steals, while the Whippens combined for 17 boards, 7 assists, 5 blocks, and a pair of steals. Finefrock's six three-pointers also put him at the top of the program's single-season three-point leaderboard, surpassing former standout Kevin Jessie's record of 82 that had stood since 1988-89.
 
With the loss, Frostburg drops to 12-11 on the year while WLU improves to 20-3. FSU will next hit the road to face Wheeling on Saturday, February 14 at 4 p.m. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.