Quarterfinal 1:
Charleston 91, Wheeling Jesuit 85 (OT)
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Charleston Press Conference (MP3) | Wheeling Jesuit Press Conference (MP3)
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Charleston out-lasted Wheeling Jesuit, 91-85, in overtime in the first quarterfinal of the Mountain East Conference Tournament presented by GoMart on Friday afternoon.
Andre Harris, who finished with a game-high 22 points, picked up a steal and then converted a traditional three-point play to put Wheeling Jesuit up 76-73 with :21 seconds left. UC’s Xavier Humphrey calmly drained a three-pointer to knot it up with :15 seconds left. The final 1.9 seconds saw four possession changes, but neither team was able to come up with the game-winning shot.
In overtime, UC scored the first seven points of the extra session and didn't allow the Cardinals to get closer than four points the rest of the way to take the victory.
Humphrey finished with 19 points and eight rebounds to lead UC (19-8). Mikey Newsome came off the bench and hit five three-pointers on his way to 17 points. Fred Simpson contributed a huge game with 16 points and 14 rebounds.
In addition to Harris’ 22 points, Eric Siefert added 19 points and 10 assists for the Cardinals (15-13). Justin Fritts had 18 points and six assists for WJU.
Charleston advances to the MEC Semifinals tomorrow night at 6 p.m.
Quarterfinal 2:
Glenville State 74, Shepherd 72
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Glenville State Press Conference (MP3) | Shepherd Press Conference (MP3)
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Kevin Gray's three-pointer with 9.2 seconds left lifted Glenville State past Shepherd, 74-72, in the quarterfinals of the Mountain East Conference Tournament.
With the game tied for the eighth time with :44 seconds left, Morgan McDonald hit two free throws to put Shepherd up 72-70. Gray took a feed from the wing and then buried the three to give the Pioneers the lead. Austin Cunningham's pass across the baseline hit the frame of the basket giving GSC the ball back, and Gray added one more free throw to make it 74-72. McDonald had a look just inside midcourt to win the game, but his attempt hit the backboard and rimmed out as the Pioneers hung on.
Glenville State (18-9) was led by Donte Morales' 18 points and five rebounds. Lamar Mallory added 15 points and seven rebounds, and Gray finished with 12.
Shepherd (20-10) was paced by 24 points from Brantley Osborne. McDonald had a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds, and Austin Cunningham added 16 points for the Rams.
Glenville State advances to take on the University of Charleston at 6 p.m.
Quarterfinal 3:
West Liberty 107, Notre Dame College 86
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West Liberty Press Conference (MP3) | Notre Dame Press Conference (MP3)
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Liberty’s top three scorers came off the bench and the Hilltoppers shot 60 percent from the field in a 107-86 win over Notre Dame College on Friday night.
Shaw Dyer (27 points), Kelvin Goodwin (24 points) and C.J. Hester (16 points) all came off the bench for WLU. Devin Hoehn scored 14 points and Cedric Harris chipped in 14 points and dished out six assists for the ‘Toppers.
The Hilltoppers (25-2) advance to the semifinals tomorrow night at 8:15 p.m.
Notre Dame (11-19) was led by the top two scorers in the league in Lawrence DeArmond and Tyree Gaiter. DeArmond led all scorers with 32 points, and Gaiter finished with 23 after scoring 21 in the first half.
Leading by 40-34, West Liberty closed the first on an 11-4 run to push its lead to 13 at the break. The Toppers’ lead remained in double figures early in the second half, but Notre Dame was able to cut it to within 12 with 13:45 to go after a DeArmond jumper. WLU would respond with a 16-5 run over the next 5:19 and put the game away and cruise to the victory.
Game 4
Fairmont State 70, West Virginia Wesleyan 62
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Fairmont State Press Conference (MP3) | West Virginia Wesleyan Press Conference (MP3)
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Fairmont State outscored West Virginia Wesleyan 9-2 during the final 2:49 en route to a 70-62 victory over West Virginia Wesleyan on Friday night at the Charleston Civic Center.
Fairmont State (20-9) advances to take on top-seeded West Liberty on Saturday night at 8:15 p.m.
FSU's Brendan Cooper filled the stats sheet with 21 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. Thomas Wimbush added 14 points and five rebounds. Stevie Browning scored 11 points, and Chase Morgan added 10, including a big three-pointer that extended FSU's lead from three points to six with 1:18 to go.
WVWC (20-12) was paced by 16 points from Brett Ervin. Senior T.J. Thompson chipped in 12 points for the Bobcats.