ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University men's basketball team finished the first half on a 30-9 run as it cruised by Frostburg State 98-73 Saturday afternoon in a Mountain East Conference contest at the Carter Center.
With Concord (10-7, 9-4 MEC) hanging onto a 23-22 advantage and Frostburg State (9-11, 6-7 MEC) threatening to tie the game for the first time at the 6:57 mark of the game, the Mountain Lions broke out and put the game away in the final seven minutes of the first half.
Within the 30-9 outburst was 10 straight points.
Junior forward
Rene Diop gave Concord a 25-22 cushion before freshman guard
Josiah Rickards canned back-to-back three-pointers. Diop pushed another shot up and good to cap the 10-0 run over 1:25 of the first half.
FSU cut the deficit back to 35-27, but the Mountain Lions ran out again. Junior guard
Kollin Tolbert scored two of his game-best 17 points to stretch the lead back to 10 points. And then, Rickards finished off a three-point play at the 3:34 mark before sophomore forward
Boubacar Djigo pounded down a dunk with 3:02 left to push the lead to 40-25.
Already with a 19-point cushion, junior forward
Ken Sallee put an exclamation mark on the first half as his three-pointer from well behind the line was good from the right wing at the buzzer to give Concord a 53-31 advantage at halftime.
Frostburg State never threatened in the second half as CU's first 30-point lead came at the 14:49 mark, 68-37, after Sallee connected on one of his four three-pointers in the game.
Concord's biggest lead was 36 which came at the 7:50 mark, 88-52, after a layup by redshirt freshman guard
John Gabbert before the Mountain Lions settled for the 25-point victory.
Tolbert led five players in double figures as he finished one rebound shy of a double-double. He finished the game 6-for-10 from the field and 4-of-5 from three-point distance. Sallee netted 16 points that included a 4-for-8 display from three-point range.
Spurred by a strong first half, Rickards recorded 14 points to go with six rebounds and five assists. Senior guard
Corey Boston added 12 points, and Djigo tallied his first career double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
The Mountain Lions handed out a season-best 22 assists with Rickards and redshirt freshman guard
Brendan Hoffman each tallying five. Tolbert had four assists.
Concord shot 52.7 percent for the game (39-for-74) and held Frostburg State to 35 percent shooting (28-for-80).
CU held a lopsided 58-41 rebounding advantage as it recorded a season high for rebounds.
The Mountain Lions welcome Mercer County rival Bluefield State to the Carter Center 7:00 p.m. Monday.
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