The University of Charleston put up a good fight and tried to rally, but top-ranked Fairmont State proved to be too much for the Golden Eagles in a 76-64 defeat in the Mountain East Conference quarterfinals on Friday night at the Civic Center.
After falling behind by as many as 15 points in the second half, UC (15-15) was able to get the deficit down to 10 points on a couple of occasions as it started to come alive more down the stretch. But it seemed like every time the Golden Eagles would start to find some momentum, the Falcons would find a way to hit a couple of big shots or make the stops they needed to before allowing it to get any closer.
"They're the No. 1 team in the country for a reason," UC coach Dwaine Osborne said. "We just couldn't make enough plays and couldn't finish plays to beat them."
Charleston struggled shooting the ball for the majority of the game, making just two of its first 11 shots to open the second half.
The Golden Eagles had worked their way into the lead with a strong start in the first half. But Fairmont State (28-1) bounced back quickly after the slow start, going on a 12-1 run that helped transform a one-point UC advantage into a 10-point Fairmont State lead.
Fairmont State tried to use its pressure to generate more opportunities in the second half. Those tweaks helped the Falcons shoot 53.6 percent in the second half, making nine of their final 13 shots. The defensive changes helped FSU limit the Golden Eagles to making just 38 percent of their attempts in the final 20 minutes, including just two makes on 11 attempts from 3-point range.
And while its usual stars like Matt Bingaya struggled at times to get going, Fairmont State was able to turn to its depth - players like D.J. Stockman off the bench and Vonte Montgomery - to come up with big plays. FSU got 25 points from its bench.
"Charleston did a tremendous job early of limiting Matt's touches, they really sunk in," Fairmont State coach Jerrod Calhoun said. "I thought the big difference in the game was our bench, it's been great all year."
UC's seniors played well in their final game in a Golden Eagle uniform. Elliott Cole scored 25 points for UC while Justin Coleman finished with a double-double, scoring 13 points and pulling down 12 rebounds.
"This is my second family," Cole said. "I thanked Coach and the coaching staff for giving me the opportunity to experience being a part of Charleston. I told him in practice this was the best decision I made in my life.
"It made me a better basketball player, a better student and a better man."
Stockman led five Fairmont State players in double figures, scoring 18 points. Montgomery added 15 points for the Falcons while Bingaya and Jason Jolly both scored 12 points. Thomas Wimbush also had 10 points in the win.
Fairmont State will take on the winner of Friday's fourth quarterfinal between Shepherd and Notre Dame College. That semifinal game will tip off at 6 p.m. Saturday.
Contact Michael Carvelli at 304-348-4810 or michael.carvelli@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @carvelli3.