— Story by Taylor Kennedy
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Opening night in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) saw most of the league’s basketball squads return to action. It has been 305 days (10 months) since a MEC team took the court. All men’s basketball teams took the court Thursday evening.
The MEC emphasized its excitement of the beginning of the season on Twitter Thursday afternoon.
Man, it seems like this day would never come and at the same time is here all of a sudden… either way, we’re playing games tonight! Have fun, stay safe, compete hard and never lose the perspective gained over the last year.
— Mountain East Conf. (@TheMountainEast) January 7, 2021
Four of the six games men’s games were decided by less than 10 points.
Davis & Elkins 108, Frostburg State 100
After being down eight at intermission, Frostburg State found itself up 98-92 with 3:22 left in the game. From that point forward, it was all Davis & Elkins. The Senators finished the game on a 16-2 run to capture their first win of the 2021 season.
Bobcats junior Agyei Edwards led all scorers with 32 points on 11-19 (58%) from the field and 7-10 (70%) from behind the arc. Davis & Elkins juniors Breland Walton and Marcus Fleming combined for 44 points. The Senators starting five combined for 91 of their 108 teams total points.
Both teams will compete again late Sunday afternoon. Frostburg State will welcome the West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats, and Davis & Elkins will head up to Fairmont to take on Fairmont State.
Concord 64, Charleston 62
For the second straight year, the Concord Mountain Lions have defeated the University of Charleston in the first game of conference play. Concord used a 6-0 run late in the game to seal the victory over the Golden Eagles.
Ethan Heller, a sophomore from Thornville, Ohio, led all scorers with 18 points. He went seven of eight from the free throw line. On the opposite side, Eddie Colbert III led UC in scoring 13 points. Concord outrebounded Charleston 45-35.
UC will head up north to take on Glenville State, and Concord will welcome West Virginia State into Athens. Both teams will compete this Sunday.
Fairmont State 110, West Virginia Wesleyan 85
West Virginia Wesleyan jumped out to an early 7-0 lead in the first half. It was not until the 15:53 mark when former Fairmont Senior guard Zyon Dobbs scored the Falcons first points. From there, it was all Fairmont State. The Falcons would go on a 20-8 run. Fairmont State forced 21 Bobcats turnovers, including 15 at the half.
Eight different Falcons recorded double-figure performances. They were led by last season’s first team All-MEC member Cole VonHandorf with 18 points. W.Va. Wesleyan had three players score 12 points. The Bobcats finished the game shooting 36% from long-range, which was better than Fairmont State’s 33%.
Fairmont State will welcome Davis & Elkins, and West Virginia Wesleyan will hit the road as the Bobcats will face Frostburg State on Sunday.
Alderson Broaddus 85, Wheeling 79
The Battlers and Cardinals faced off against each other Thursday evening for the first time since 2016. Wheeling University won that game, but last night was a different story. Alderson Broaddus led 47-45 at the half, and outscored Wheeling 38-34 to receive its first victory of the season.
Battlers junior Cameron Shriver led all scorers with 21 points on 64% shooting. All of his points came from behind the arc. On the flip side, the Cardinals were led by Jordan Reid with 21 points on 9-18 (50%) shooting. Alderson Broaddus assisted on 45% of its total made baskets.
The Battlers will host West Liberty, and Wheeling will go on the road to face Notre Dame.
West Liberty 98, Notre Dame College 77
The preseason number one pick to win the MEC, West Liberty, picked right where they left off after last season. The Hilltoppers defeated the Falcons for the 13th straight time Thursday evening. West Liberty led by as many as 25 points.
The Hilltoppers Dalton Bolon and Pat Robinson III combined for 40 of the teams 98 points. Bolon also recorded 10 rebounds for a double-double, which is his 20th double-double of his career. Notre Dame was led by Jordan Burton who led all scorers with 24 points on 8-13 (62%) shooting.
Notre Dame will welcome Wheeling for its home opener, and West Liberty will hit the road to face Alderson Broaddus.
Glenville State 117, WV State 114
The highest scoring content Thursday evening came down at the campus of West Virginia State University. It was a back and forth game the whole 40 minutes. Glenville State used a 16-5 during a three minute span to hold onto the lead. The Yellow Jackets had two good opportunities with less than 14 seconds left to tie the game.
The Pioneers were led by senior Hegel Augustin with 40 points, which is a new career high with Glenville State. He also corralled 13 rebounds. West Virginia State was led by senior guard Glen Abram scoring 24 points (16 1st half points). The Pioneers outrebounded the Yellow Jackets 48-37.
West Virginia State will pack its bags for a road trip to Athens to take on Concord, and Glenville State will welcome in the University of Charleston.