FAIRMONT, W.Va. — Fairmont State’s men’s and women’s basketball teams both earned wins Sunday in Wheeling to clinch the MEC Championship.
It was a weekend of firsts for Fairmont State. It’s the first time since joining the MEC that Fairmont State won both the men’s and women’s title in basketball in the same season. It was also the first ever back-to-back MEC Championship for the women’s team. Fairmont State (27-4) defeated Glenville State (19-12) 79-65 on the heels of another tremendous tournament performance by fifth year player Alyssa DeAngelo, who scored 21 points in the win. MEC Player of the Year Leslie Huffman finished with 20 points, nine rebounds, four steals, and three assists.
Fairmont State’s men’s team (27-4) defeated West Liberty (27-4) after being swept in the regular season series 122-114 in triple overtime. Rudy Fitzgibbons had 26 points and several huge buckets in overtime. Sam Emich scored 24.
“They did a much better job in the second half — really in the overtime in particular — of being unaffected by West Liberty’s press,” Travis Jones, Fairmont State men’s basketball radio play-by-play, told WKMZ’s The Morning Spiel on Monday.
Jones praised the commitment Fairmont State has made to their basketball programs.
“You’ve got history,” he said. “You’ve got tradition. You’ve got community support.”
Both teams earned a five-seed and will head to different host sites.
“When you look at the D1 situation, you get a lot more movement with a win or loss at D1,” Jones said. “At D1 you can be on the bubble, you lose a game you are off the bubble.”
Fairmont State women’s basketball will face four-seed Indiana (PA) at Edinboro University on Friday, March 14.
The five-seed men’s team will face four-seed Fayetteville State at West Liberty University on Saturday, March 15 at 8:30 p.m.
Story by Alex Wiederspiel, WKMZ