Men’s Basketball Falls to Salisbury in Overtime Ending 2018-19 Campaign

The Bobcat men’s basketball team lost a hotly contested match-up this past Tuesday, Feb. 19 . In what would be the team’s final game of the season, FSU lost a 78-76 overtime thriller to Salisbury University in the first round of the CAC tournament. This was the second time in two games the Bobcats faced off against their in-state rival. They lost to the Seagulls 90-83 in the regular season finale on Feb. 16, their fifth straight loss to end the regular season after a 10-10 start. The Seagulls came into the game 18-7.

Despite the loss, the Bobcats saw great performances from senior forward Edwin Cole and junior guard Daniel Alexander. Cole went out with a bang in his final game for FSU with 25 points and 19 rebounds. Alexander, who led the Bobcat’s in scoring coming into the game, added 22 points. These performances are especially impressive considering both players left the game early due to foul trouble.

The Bobcats came out the gate on fire, jumping out to a 22-point lead in the first half. They shot a scorching 53% from the field with 17 points from Edwin Cole and 10 points from junior guard Terry Kenner in the half. FSU played tenacious defense, forcing Salisbury into 11 first half turnovers and 34% shooting. They led 46-26 at the intermission.

The tides turned in the second half, and the Seagulls methodically chipped away at the lead. Daniel Alexander fouled out while FSU held a 70-69 lead with 41 seconds left in the game. This was a huge blow to a Bobcat team that saw Alexander score 16 of their 25 points in the second half. Salisbury was led in second half scoring by sophomore guard Mike Ward with 14 points that included 3-4 shooting from three. Ward made a free throw with 16 seconds remaining to give Salisbury a 71-70 lead. The lead was their first since 17:17 remaining in the first half. Junior guard Lawrence Pettis for the Bobcats tied the game with a clutch free throw of his own with six seconds left. Edwin Cole kept the train going with what would be his fourth block as time expired to send the game into overtime.

Salisbury scored the first six points of overtime and found themselves leading 77-71 just over a minute and a half into the extra period. The Bobcats fought back and a quick steal and layup by junior guard/forward Jordan Dawson on an inbound pass brought the score to 78-76 with 35 seconds left. The score would stall there however, and Bobcats fell 78-76.

This game concluded a season that didn’t end the way the Bobcats envisioned, but the team showed promise throughout the year. Twenty games into the season the Bobcats were in solid position, but lost their final six games. Despite the string of losses, the Bobcats never quit and earned an opportunity to extend their season up until the last second. The future is bright for this young Bobcat team that only features two seniors and has their inaugural season in Division II on the horizon.