It’s been another wacky week within the Mountain East Conference. There were close calls and a few marquee victories, some of which required overtime.
A deeper dive into this week’s results:
Men’s Basketball
ALDERSON BROADDUS 74, Glenville State 72, OT: The Pioneers came into Wednesday’s matchup with the third-longest win streak in the MEC at five games. However, a trip to Phillipi brought an end to Glenville State’s success.
AB’s Coryon Rice hit a contested 3-pointer with 8 seconds left, before Glenville State (12-7, 8-5) turned the ball over on the ensuing possession, and the Battlers’ Jalen Knott made 1-of-2 attempts from the free-throw line in the waning seconds.
The Battlers (6-12, 4-9) snapped a two-game skid to the Pioneers by battling back from a 10-point second-half deficit to force the game to overtime tied at 65.
Three players tallied double-figures for Alderson Broaddus, including Rice, who led the charge with 25 points on 64 percent shooting. Glenville State’s Jordan Turbo Smith led all scorers with 26 points.
FAIRMONT STATE 85, West Virginia State 78, OT: The Falcons and Yellow Jackets entered tied for third in the MEC standings at 9-3. Fairmont State used a double-figure first half to hold off WVSU.
The Yellow Jackets (15-4, 9-4) trailed by as much as 21 in the second half, but battled back and finished second half on a 6-0 run over the final 1:21.
Fairmont State (15-4, 10-3) then used an 11-4 overtime advantage to escape with the victory. Five different Falcons scored in overtime.
The Falcons’ George Mangas led all scorers with a career-high 33 points and 13 made field goals. Mangas shot 65 percent.
West Virginia State’s Dwaine Jones posted a team-high 23 points and six assists.
Women’s Basketball
WEST VIRGINIA WESLEYAN 58, Wheeling 55: The Bobcats held off a strong second-half surge by Wheeling in the fourth quarter after entering halftime with a 31-25 lead.
The victory marks Wesleyan’s second league win and its first in two weeks.
Three Wesleyan players recorded double-figure performances, including former Fairmont Senior standout Courtney Wilfong and Emma Witt, who combined for 30 of the team’s 58 points. Electra Allembert also added 13 points.
Wheeling’s Lauren Calhoun posted her 12th double-double , recording 15 points and 10 boards.
FAIRMONT STATE 89, West Virginia State 75: West Virginia State’s nine-game win streak came to an end inside Joe Retton Arena.
It was a tightly-contested game throughout the first half. However, Fairmont State stretched its lead to 12 midway through the second half and ultimately closed the game on an 8-0 run.
Fairmont State’s starting five combined for 75 of the team’s 89 points. The Falcons were led by Alyssa DeAngelo with 19 points. DeAngelo converted all six of her free throws.
WVSU’s Shelby Harmeyer came off the bench and led the Yellow Jackets with 15 points.
Looking Ahead
Fairmont State head south to the capital city to take on the University of Charleston. The Falcons and Golden Eagles men’s teams are the two hottest teams in the MEC and have combined for 17 straight wins.
The Falcons are in solo possession of third place, while the Golden Eagles are tied with West Liberty for first place in the conference at 11-2 apiece.
Both sides are strong in opposite categories. Fairmont State is second in the conference in scoring, averaging 94 points per game. Charleston leads the conference in points per game allowed, giving up 72 on average.
The men’s game tips off at 4 p.m.