ATHENS, W.Va. – A second-half surge by the Concord University men's basketball team helped it defeat Fayetteville State, 84-65, to open the season in MEC-CIAA Challenge at the Carter Center Friday evening.

The Mountain Lions are 1-0 on the season while FSU is 0-1.

CU came out firing early as it connected on eight of its first 10 attempts from beyond the arc. Junior guard BJ Hamlet, senior guards Aaron Miller and Michael Sanchez and senior forward Stephen Thompson combined for all eight makes in the stretch.

Behind the hot shooting, the Mountain Lions built its lead up to 39-27 with 7:54 left to go in the first half after five straight points from Sanchez. Fayettevile State slowly chipped around at the lead and finished the first half on a 17-11 run, but Concord still led 50-44 at halftime. In the first half, the Maroon and Gray shot 57.9 percent (11-for-19) from three-point range with Miller draining 4-of-5 attempts and Thompson drilling 3-of-5 from distance.

The Broncos came out of the break and proceeded to go on a 12-3 run to grab a 56-53 lead with 13:02 left in the contest. However, the Mountain Lions clamped down on Fayetteville State and held them scoreless for the next 7:10 of the game. At the same time, Concord ripped off 16 points.

Sophomore guard Tommy Bolte and Miller each had five points in the run while Bolte, Miller and junior forward Babe Murphy each knocked down a three-pointer in the spurt.

The 16-0 run was a part of a larger 29-2 run that span nearly 11 minutes of the second half. After the performance, CU held a commanding 82-58 advantage at the 2:26 mark of the second half, its largest lead of the game.

All five Concord starters, Hamlet, Miller, Murphy, Sanchez and Thompson, all scored in double-figures led by Miller with 22 points. Murphy (11) and Thompson (18) each notched career-high scoring nights while Sanchez just missed a triple-double with 12 points, six rebounds and eight assists.

Hamlet had 13 points while junior forward Troy Gibson was Concord's leading rebounder with seven.

The Mountain Lions held a 39-35 edge on the glass.

Concord will play in the final game of the MEC-CIAA Challenge 7:00 p.m. Saturday against Winston-Salem State. Charleston and Fayetteville State will square off at 5:00 p.m.