FROSTBURG, Md. – For the first time since 2019, the Frostburg State Men's Basketball team was able to take down Davis & Elkins on Wednesday night with a narrow 97-94 home victory.
 
After taking the opening tip, the Senators wasted little time in hitting a three, though sophomore Trey Simmons helped get FSU going with a nice pass inside to graduate Kyle Whippen before knocking down a pair at the line to lead 4-3 after two minutes. D&E then held the Bobcats scoreless for nearly four minutes, going on an 11-0 run to surge ahead 14-4. Whippen broke the drought with a spinning drive to the rim, then blocked a shot that led to his brother and classmate, Chase, scoring five in a row through a lay-in and triple to pull back within six.
 
Over a minute-long stretch, neither side could miss, trading layups back-and-forth, with Kyle Whippen and Simmons going for six in a row and the latter splitting a trip to the line to get the deficit down to 21-18. Frostburg wouldn't get another field goal for four more minutes, as Davis & Elkins went for back-to-back lay-ins, a three, and a dunk to push ahead 30-18. Simmons was able to convert a pair at the line, then fed Kyle Whippen on an easy flush off an out-of-bounds play before the latter went coast-to-coast on a defensive board to get back within eight.
 
The Whippens took over FSU's offense for the next four minutes, combining to go three-of-four at the stripe, while Kyle made a layup and Chase hit back-to-back treys to bring the Senator lead back down to 41-35. D&E responded with a three and layup either side of Simmons driving the lane, while Kyle Whippen got a putback to fall to put the halftime score at 46-39.
 
Both teams came out hot from the field to start the second half, with the Whippens going for three lay-ins and Davis & Elkins adding a pair of their own to stay ahead by five. The Senators then netted four unanswered on a deep make and split trip to the line, as freshman Mitch Finefrock hit a much-needed three followed by Simmons getting to the cup, but the visitors couldn't be stopped with a putback and triple putting them up 61-50.
 
Redshirt freshman DJ Daniel began to get in on the action with a pull-up jumper, layup, and and-one either side of Kyle Whippen converting free throws to trim the deficit down to six. The sides then traded layups and three-pointers before Chase Whippen was found by
Simmons for an and-one and Daniel got a steal-and-score, playing a one-two with Kyle Whippen to get all the way back within 70-69 at the midway point of the half.
 
The Senators tried to settle themselves with a couple freebies, then were able to answer a Simmons three with one of their own. Simmons continued to drive FSU forward, putting home another from behind the arc before pulling up from the elbow and driving through the lane to take a stunning 79-77 advantage. Vegas Evans got some momentum back for Davis & Elkins with a three and a trip to the line, but Simmons found Kyle Whippen for an easy two while Daniel popped a step-back three to even things at 84-84 with just under six to play.
 
Evans had the next five for D&E, with Simmons netting back-to-back baskets and Kyle Whippen finding a great cut by Daniel, however a turnaround jumper from the visitors gave them a 92-90 advantage with three minutes on the clock. A costly turnover by Evans was grabbed by Finefrock, as he found Chase Whippen to pass ahead to Daniel sprinting up the court, wowing the home crowd with a jam and getting some Frostburg momentum. Both defenses then came up with a pair of stopes before Simmons was fouled going to the rim, making both at the line with 50 seconds to go.
 
On a drive by D&E's Matthew Gray to the lane, he was fouled but could only make one-of-two at the line, however the visitors immediately got the ball back out of a Bobcat turnover. Out in transition, Gray tried to lay home the go-ahead score, but Kyle Whippen rose highest to stuff the shot as his brother grabbed the defensive board and passed to Finefrock to get to the stripe. Keeping a cool head, the Canton native knocked in both to lead 96-93, then out of a timeout by head coach Zack Thomsen, he decided to have FSU foul Gray, setting up a one-and-one. Gray hit the first and tried to intentionally get a rebound off the second but missed the rim, setting Frostburg up with the ball out of bounds. Simmons got the pass and was fouled but could only make one of his two in hopes of sealing the game, however Evans saw his buzzer-beating pull-up three fall off the right side of the rim as the Bobcats escaped with the 97-94 final.
 
Simmons led all scorers on 30 points while also dishing out a game-high eight assists. Each Whippen recorded a double-double, with Kyle going for 23 and 14 and Chase tacking on 18 and 11. Daniel joined them in double-figure scoring on 21 points while also grabbing a pair of steals and a block defensively.
 
With the win, Frostburg improves to 14-13 on the year, while D&E drops to 8-19. The Bobcats will conclude their regular season on the road against Fairmont State on Saturday, February 28 at 4 p.m. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.