FSU Men’s Basketball Team’s Impressive 2018 CAC Run Comes to a Close

The Frostburg State University (FSU) men’s basketball team was not supposed to have the 2017-2018 season that it did.  Despite being picked tenth, last, in the preseason Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) preseason poll, the Bobcats rattled off a number of stunning upsets against conference foes and national powerhouses.  FSU went 9-9 in conference play, and made the 2018 CAC postseason tournament as the fifth seed before ultimately falling just short against Mary Washington, 82-78, in the first round.

The Bobcats’ tournament appearance against Mary Washington on Tuesday, Feb. 20, was the program’s first postseason game in five years.  The last FSU men’s basketball team to make the playoffs was the 2012-2013 squad.  Against Mary Washington, Frostburg battled relentlessly down the stretch, but was narrowly defeated in a game that came down to the final seconds of regulation.

In the playoff matchup, FSU trailed Mary Washington by more than fifteen points twice during the second half of play. Remarkably, the Bobcats fought back in the closing minutes of the contest to pull within three points, 77-74, with 37 seconds remaining, and within two points, 80-78, with 9 seconds remaining.  Ultimately, however, the Mary Washington defense held off FSU’s chance to tie or win the game in the final seconds.

Despite suffering the loss, the Bobcats put on a hard-fought performance.  The team’s late comeback served as reminiscent of the tenacity and determination that the team showed throughout the 2017-2018 season.  Junior FSU forward Edwin Cole put together perhaps his greatest performance in a Bobcat uniform, finishing his first collegiate playoff game with 25 points, 17 rebounds, and four blocks over 37 minutes. Frostburg State sophomore point guard Lawrence Pettis, Jr. led the team with eight assists and five steals to go along with eleven points.  Meanwhile, senior Tyler Michael and sophomore Daniel Alexander also scored double-figure points for the Bobcats, finishing with ten points and thirteen points, respectively, in the playoff game.

The 2017-2018 season was one of numerous historic moments for the FSU men’s basketball team.  Prior to the start of the season, longtime head coach Webb Hatch announced his retirement at the end of the 2017-2018 season.  Without a doubt, his squad responded with a season that demonstrated just how underrated they were in the CAC preseason poll. Early in the season, Michael cemented his place in the Bobcat record books by scoring his 1,000th point in an FSU uniform.  The team would go on to shock several conference rivals, including historic upsets against #17 Christopher Newport in overtime on the road, and #7 York at home in Bobcat Arena.  The York victory, particularly, will go down as one of the top wins in FSU men’s basketball history, and the 2017-2018 season will be remembered for an experienced team, a legendary coach, and an exciting run to the postseason.