Top-Ranked Falcons, Roster Including Two BHS Alums, Win 2017 MEC Regular Season Championship
By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on February 26, 2017 via Connect-Bridgeport.com
Editor’s Note: The Fairmont State Falcon Basketball Team roster includes 2016 Bridgeport High School graduates, former Indian basketball starters Donald Kummer and Logan Smith. See the full team roster HERE.
Submitted by Fairmont State University Athletics:
FAIRMONT - Thomas Wimbush dropped in 32 points to help lead No. 1-ranked Fairmont State to a 95-80 victory over Shepherd on Saturday afternoon inside Joe Retton Arena. The win gave the Falcons their first regular season league championship in 21 years.
The Falcons also wrapped up the No. 1 seed in next week's Mountain East Conference Championships, where the Falcons will open play next Friday in the quarterfinals against the winner of the Charleston and Urbana opening round game on Tuesday evening. Tip time is set for 6 p.m. Friday evening inside the Charleston Civic Center.
The MEC Regular Season Championship is also the first for Fairmont State in any sport since joining the league in 2013 as a charter member.
FSU opened the second half on a 12-2 run over the first three and a half minutes of play to help the Falcons grab its largest lead of the day, 57-41. From that point, FSU held a double-digit margin for the rest of the afternoon, except for one occasion at the 3:08 mark when a three by Steffan Davis cut the FSU lead to just seven (81-74).
However, a layup by Matt Bingaya and a three by Thomas Wimbush on back-to-back possessions allowed FSU to push its lead back to double-digits for good.
Wimbush also added seven rebound, four assists and two steals in the win for the Falcons. Shammgod Wells chipped in 19 points and four assists, allowing the senior to pass Brian Tristani for first in school history in career assists with 529.
Matt Bingaya also added a double-double for FSU with 16 points and 11 rebound to go along with five assists and five steals. Vonte Montgomery (12) and Trevor Andrews-Evans (10) rounded out five FSU players in double figures. Andrews-Evans also pulled down six rebounds and added five more blocked shots to his career total (221) on senior day.
The Falcons shot 52.8 percent from the field in the second half after managing just 38.1 percent in the opening half. FSU held a 45-39 advantage at the break.
FSU also held a 45-37 advantage on the glass, including 16 offensive rebounds.
The Falcons also wrapped up the No. 1 seed in next week's Mountain East Conference Championships, where the Falcons will open play next Friday in the quarterfinals against the winner of the Charleston and Urbana opening round game on Tuesday evening. Tip time is set for 6 p.m. Friday evening inside the Charleston Civic Center.
The MEC Regular Season Championship is also the first for Fairmont State in any sport since joining the league in 2013 as a charter member.
FSU opened the second half on a 12-2 run over the first three and a half minutes of play to help the Falcons grab its largest lead of the day, 57-41. From that point, FSU held a double-digit margin for the rest of the afternoon, except for one occasion at the 3:08 mark when a three by Steffan Davis cut the FSU lead to just seven (81-74).
However, a layup by Matt Bingaya and a three by Thomas Wimbush on back-to-back possessions allowed FSU to push its lead back to double-digits for good.
Wimbush also added seven rebound, four assists and two steals in the win for the Falcons. Shammgod Wells chipped in 19 points and four assists, allowing the senior to pass Brian Tristani for first in school history in career assists with 529.
Matt Bingaya also added a double-double for FSU with 16 points and 11 rebound to go along with five assists and five steals. Vonte Montgomery (12) and Trevor Andrews-Evans (10) rounded out five FSU players in double figures. Andrews-Evans also pulled down six rebounds and added five more blocked shots to his career total (221) on senior day.
The Falcons shot 52.8 percent from the field in the second half after managing just 38.1 percent in the opening half. FSU held a 45-39 advantage at the break.
FSU also held a 45-37 advantage on the glass, including 16 offensive rebounds.
Davis scored a team-high 27 points and pulled down nine rebounds in the losing effort for Shepherd (18-10, 15-7).Naim Muhammad chipped in 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists for the Rams.
