FAIRMONT, W.Va. – A 23-3 second-half scoring run by the Concord University men's basketball team was not enough as it lost 85-71 Wednesday night at Joe Retton Arena in a Mountain East Conference contest.
Trailing 71-41 with 12:50 remaining in the game, Concord (4-6, 2-3 MEC) immediately canned four straight three-pointers with sophomore guard
Dorian Groggs knocking in two triples. The run continued with a fifth three-pointer from fifth-year senior forward
Lual Daniel Rahama at the 8:32 mark and a layup by Groggs 22 seconds later to cap a 17-0 run.
The Fighting Falcons (7-1, 4-1 MEC), nationally-ranked 17
th, broke a near five-minute scoreless streak, but the Mountain Lions came right back as junior guard
Ethan Heller scored four straight points. Sophomore guard
Jordan Wooden hammered home a dunk to follow the Heller scoring to trim the deficit to 74-64 with 5:57 left.
The 10-point margin was as close as Concord had been since the 10:41 mark of the first half.
FSU scored five straight points to curb the CU momentum as the Mountain Lions were never able to get the deficit back to 10 points down the stretch.
Rahama finished with 16 points and added five rebounds. Fueled by his second-half spurt, Groggs netted 10 points off the bench. Senior guard
Brandon Kennedy added nine points and five assists. Seven different players had at least six points, including Wooden scoring all eight of his points after halftime.
The Mountain Lions collected 16 offensive rebounds and turned it into 16 second-chance points. Fairmont State held a slight edge on the glass, 44-41.
CU returns home to face Frostburg State 2:00 p.m. Sunday in an MEC contest. Â
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