MBB: CLAMPDOWN

STRONG 2nd HALF DEFENSE PROPELS CU PAST FAIRMONT STATE

Corey Neeley, contested shot (JL)
Concord's men's basketball has used its prolific offense – averaging more than 82 points per game – to move into the top half of the WVIAC standings this season.

But sometimes, it's alright for guys to get defensive.

Saturday afternoon, the Mountain Lions turned up their defense to claim a 77-66 victory over Fairmont State at Joe Retton Arena in Fairmont, WV.

The win was Concord's fourth in a row and moved CU up one spot to 6th place in the league with two games left in the regular season.

Still, the Fighting Falcons – averaging 81 points a game and boasting two of the WVIAC's top four scorers – shot a blistering .636 (14-22) from the field in the 1st half.  FSU led by as many as 12 points, at 37-25 with 4:55 left, before CU closed to within 43-37 at the break.

The Mountain Lions put the clamps down after halftime. 

CU forced the Falcons to miss 15 of their first 22 shots (.318) over the first 11 minutes of the 2nd half, and methodically chipping away at their deficit.  Two free throws from Damien Tunstalle tied the score at 60-60 with 7:57 left, and Concord took its first lead on Corey Neeley's layup 31 seconds later.

Those four points triggered a 19-6 run to close out the contest, as Concord secured a split of their two regular-season meetings with FSU.

The Mountain Lions complemented their lockdown defense with sturdy rebounding, out-boarding the Falcons 28-16 in the 2nd half and 41-30 for the game.

Romel Kemp FT (JL)
Javaughn Manuel worked through foul trouble to lead all scorers with 25 points.  Romel Kemp (right) finished with 18 points – 15 in the 2nd half – while Neeley (above left) came off the bench to add 18 points of his own.

FSU's Steve Custis went into Saturday's averaging 22.5 points per game – tops in the WVAC and 3rd-best in the nation.  He finished with a team-high 19 points on Saturday, but just two after halftime.  Isaac Thornton, the league's 4th-leading scorer, had 11 points at halftime, but just four more in the 2nd half, finishing more than six points under his average.
BOXSCORE / PLAY-BY-PLAY
(courtesy Fairmont State Sports Information)

Up next for Concord (14-10, 11-9) is a matchup with the WVIAC's 2nd-place team, the University of Charleston, on Wednesday, February 22 at the Carter Center.  Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

The game will be broadcast on News/Talk AM 620/101.1 FM WWNR as part of a doubleheader with the CU's women's team.  Coverage begins at 5:10 pm.

Links to Live Stats, streaming video and the radio webcast can be found in the navigation bar near the top of the men's basketball homepage here on www.cumountainlions.com.


(photos by Jennifer Logan)

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