Fairmont State won the Atlantic Regional final of the NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament with an 86-80 victory over Wheeling Jesuit on Tuesday night in Fairmont.
With the victory, the Falcons earned a bid to the Elite Eight in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It's the second Elite Eight berth in program history and just the first for FSU since the 1997-98 season.
After the Falcons (33-2) jumped out to a 12-point lead in the first half, the Cardinals (25-9) cut the deficit down to just four points before Thomas Wimbush hit a pair of free throws to give him a game-high 26 points to seal the victory for Fairmont State.
Matt Bingaya added 23 points and eight rebounds for the Falcons. The win gave Fairmont State three victories over its Mountain East Conference foe this season.
Wheeling Jesuit guard Pat Moseh led four Cardinals in double figures, scoring 18 points to go with his five assists. Kyle Ritz added a double-double for WJU, scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
Preston Boswell and Haywood Highsmith finished with 13 and 12 points, respectively, in the loss.
Leading up to the national quarterfinals, the eight remaining teams will be seeded to determine who they will face in the next round. The Falcons were ranked No. 3 in last week's NABC coaches poll.