Women’s Semifinals
— By Duane Cochran, For MountainEast.org
GLENVILLE STATE 83, Fairmont State 74: Top-seeded Glenville State uncharacteristically chose not to attend its morning shootaround prior to its semifinal showdown with fifth-seeded Fairmont State Saturday in the annual Mountain East Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament at WesBanco Arena.
The decision, however, proved to be the right one. The Pioneers came out on fire connecting on seven of their first 10 shots, including their first four 3-point field goal attempts as they raced to an early 10-point lead and eventually an 83-74 victory over the Falcons.
“That’s not like us is it to not take a shootaround?” said GSU coach Emily Stoller with a smile. “This is my eighth MEC Tournament (as a player or coach) and this is the first time we’ve chosen to not take the shootaround time. It was nothing like we know we’re good enough to come in here and win and not have to shootaround. We just chose to prioritize rest and recovery over getting maybe an extra 20 minutes to shoot.
“We employ a shooter’s system. I was a shooter myself in the system and as long as I’m in this position as a coach I’m always going to preach confidence to the girls I coach. I tell them a shooter’s game is probably 90 percent confidence and 10 percent skill. I knew that as a player myself. Today, that worked out.”
The Pioneers shot 49 percent from the field for the game (28-of-57), including 52 percent from three-point range (13-of-25). Glenville was also 82.4 percent at the foul line (14-of-17) as it ran its record to 24-5 with the win and earned a second straight berth in the MEC Tournament championship game. It also avenged the Pioneers’ loss to the Falcons in the title game last season.
Glenville will face third-seeded Charleston (20-10) Sunday at 1 p.m. in the tournament championship game. The Golden Eagles eliminated seventh-seeded Frostburg State Saturday. The Pioneers and Golden Eagles split their regular-season series.
The loss snapped a seven-game winning streak in MEC Tournament games for the Falcons dating back to 2024. FSU, which won the last two league tourney titles, fell to 21-9 overall this season. Fairmont will now await word Sunday night from the NCAA on whether it did enough to qualify the annual NCAA Divison II Women’s Basketball Atlantic Regional for the third year in a row. The Falcons were ranked seventh in the region coming into the week and the three teams below them all lost. The top eight teams in the region qualify for the national tournament. Fairmont would have to earn an at-large bid.
“That’s the hardest thing about being a coach in the locker room right now,” FSU coach Stephanie Anderson said. “You don’t know how to address your team. I don’t know if I should be giving them hugs and be telling them how much I loved this season or using it as motivation for them to get back to work and get ready for a regional next week.”
After the first 20 minutes Saturday it looked as if Glenville was going to run Fairmont out of the gym. The Pioneers were hitting shots, dominating on the offensive glass and held a 16-2 advantage in second-chance points which helped lead to a 43-28 lead at the break.
“I’m proud of my kids,” Stoller said. “We took the game plan of the scout to the floor and we were able to execute it today against a high-energy team.”
CHARLESTON 79, Frostburg State 71: The University of Charleston and Glenville State have waged some epic battles in the championship game of the Mountain East Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament.
Sunday afternoon they’ll have the opportunity for another.
Third-seeded UC jumped on seventh-seeded Frostburg State early and then held off every comeback challenge from the Bobcats as they recorded a victory in the semifinals of the annual league tourney.
“I was proud of the way we fought today,” said Charleston coach Bubby Johnson. “At times they crept back in. They had already played two games here and they’re a hard-fighting team which is well coached. I was just proud of our girls for not breaking down when that happened.”
The Golden Eagles, who never trailed in the contest, improved to 20-10 with the win and will square off with top-seeded Glenville State (24-5) Sunday at 1 p.m. for the league tourney title.
UC and Glenville have met five times in the 12-year history of the MEC Tournament Championship Game. The Pioneers have claimed three of those titles, while UC has won two. The most recent meeting between the teams for the championship was in 2023 when GSU claimed a 76-59 win. Prior to that, UC won the Mountain East titles in 2022 and 2021. In 2022 the Golden Eagles were the only team to defeat Glenville, which regrouped and won the NCAA Division II National Championship that season.
Glenville has won a record five MEC Tournament crowns, while UC has two.
Saturday Charleston wasted little time taking control of its game with the Bobcats. UC raced to a 15-2 lead midway through the opening quarter only to see Frostburg patiently and methodically work its way back into contention. In the final 1:22 of the second quarter Frostburg tied the game twice at 31 and 33 before settling for a three-point deficit at the break.
“We went into the game knowing it was not going to be a cakewalk,” said Frostburg’s Julie Spinelli, who finished with 12 points and five rebounds. “We knew we had to be ready to play and give total effort. It was unfortunate the way it started for us. We were ready to play, but we just didn’t play well at the start.”
Spinelli and teammate Jenna Muha, who finished with 20 points and a game-high eight rebounds, keyed the Bobcats’ first rally as they combined for 16 of the team’s 22 second-quarter points.
Men’s Semifinals
— By Bryan Dillon, For MountainEast.org
WEST LIBERTY 105, Glenville State 100 (2OT): Top-seeded West Liberty punched its ticket to the Mountain East Conference tournament final in a classic two-overtime victory over fifth-seeded Glenville State.
West Liberty improved to 26-4 on the year and clinched its tenth appearance in the league’s championship game. To get there, the Hilltoppers had to overcome a late nine-point deficit in regulation to force overtime. Over the final 3:32 of the second half, WLU reeled off a 13-2 run to keep its season alive, including five points in five seconds to tie the score at 77-77 with 30 seconds left on the clock.
“What a basketball game,” said West Liberty head coach Michael Lamberti. “It went back and forth and back and forth … Glenville is really good. They have two of the best guards in the league between Knott and Redfern, and they put on a show for everyone.”
The Hilltoppers showed their strength on the offensive boards and with their full court press. On the offensive glass, WLU grabbed 23 offensive rebounds, which they turned into 30 second-chance points, while also forcing 28 turnovers and converting them into 33 points off turnovers.
“It didn’t look like things were going our way as things slowed down in the second half,” Lamberti stated. “Glenville ultimately took that nine-point lead, and we talk about it all of the time, the way we play, we are not out of the game. We are going to extend the game with our pressure. “[Our] guys forced some turnovers and made big shots in a timely manner, and when we forced it into overtime, we felt very confident after the comeback.
Myles Montgomery, who was a key piece to the comeback, scored a team-high 24 points, including a three-pointer with 30 seconds left to force overtime. Montgomery was one of three players who scored over 20 points for West Liberty; he was joined by Cam Williams (21) and Jamie Muldowney (20).
Asked about the shot following the game, Montgomery said, “When the play was called in the huddle, I knew where I was going and felt that I was going to get a good look. As soon as I took the shot, it felt good coming out of my hands, and I was fortunate enough to hit it.”
Jalen Knott and Prince Mosengo paced the Pioneers in scoring, each finishing with a game-high 26 points. Knott scored all of his points in regulation, but fouled out early in the first overtime. Elijah Redfern (19) and Corey Boulden (15) joined them in double-digits.
With Glenville State in serious foul trouble and four out of five starters fouled out, West Liberty was able to pull away in the second overtime period. Cam Williams scored four of the first eight points in the period gave the Pioneers the lead for good on layup with 4:02 left to play, and added two free throws with 43 seconds left to ice the game.
Corey Boulden hit the biggest shot of the night for Glenville State when he drilled a three from the left corner as time expired to tie the game at 94 and force the second overtime period. West Liberty took control of the first overtime period with an 8-0 run capped by a driving dunk from Jamie Muldowney which gave the Hilltoppers a 91-86 lead with 58 seconds remaining. Prince Mosengo and Elijah Redfern closed the Pioneers’ deficit to two points. WLU’s Montgomery hit a free throw to take a three-point lead to set up the final play of the first overtime.
Six second-half three-point field goals helped Glenville State to a nine-point lead with just over four minutes remaining in the second half as they looked to pull the upset on the top seed. Jamie Knott hit four of his seven shots from distance in the half, including back-to-back threes with 9:48 remaining to give the Pioneers their first lead of the half. Boulden would repeat Knott’s back-to-back three to stretch the GSU lead to eight points with 4:38 remaining. The Hilltoppers showed their resiliency, putting together a 13-2 stretch. Their full-court pressure forced four turnovers during the final moments of regulation.
FAIRMONT STATE 91, Concord 74: Fairmont State clinched a berth in the championship game of the Mountain East Tournament presented by The Health Plan with a victory over Concord.
For the sixth time in program history, the Falcons will play for a league title, facing a familiar opponent, the West Liberty Hilltoppers. These two have played four times previously in the championship game, including a thrilling three-overtime contest last year won by Fairmont State
“I thought it was a really good win and I am really proud of all of these guys,” said Fairmont State head coach Tim Koenig. “I am proud of our prep and our togetherness, and I am just really proud of the players and coaches. Concord is a really good team. Inside and outside a tough team, and it was a really good win.”
Fairmont State (26-4) shot 54 percent from the field and 40 percent from behind the arc while controlling the board to earn a convincing win over Concord, which shot 41.5 percent from the field and 34.2 percent from behind the arc. It was the Falcons first half defense that helped them separate. They held the Mountain Lions to 32.4 percent shooting from the field and just 18.2 percent from long range to open up a 13-point advantage at the intermission, a lead that they would not relinquish.
“I thought Miguel [Martinez] rebounded really well and made shots,” stated Koenig. “He just spreads the court coming off the bench. Joey [Brown] and Zycheus [Dobbs] were really good in the press and really good in the half-court defensively. It was a big lift for us.”
The bench unit came up big for the Falcons as Miguel Martinez (14), Joey Brown (13), and Zycheus Dobbs combined for 38 points, giving Fairmont State a 38-17 advantage in bench points for the game. Starters Drey Carter and CJ Meredith tied for a game-high 18 points to lead the scoring effort.
Boubacara Djigo recorded his 20th double-double of the season with 16 points and 18 rebounds on the night. Four Mountain Lions joined him, scoring in double-digits. Anfernee Hanna finished with 14 points, Josiah Rickards scored 13 points, and Savior McCall and Micah Young each had 10 points.