Fighting Falcons get NCAA D-II tournament bid after loss to West Liberty
Mar. 7—FAIRMONT — Just hours after falling 82-112 to the West Liberty Hilltoppers in the Mountain East Conference, the Fairmont State men's basketball team found out its season is not over yet.
The Falcons are now the No. 5 seed in the Atlantic Region of the 2023 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament after the NCAA unveiled the 64 qualifying teams Sunday night.
Saturday, March 11, the Falcons will travel to Indiana, Pennsylvania to play No. 4 seed Virginia Union at the Kovalchick Complex, marking the fifth year in a row the Fairmont State men have qualified for the D-II NCAA Tournament.
With their entry into the tournament, Fairmont State is now one of eight basketball programs in the U.S. to appear in the national tournament in the previous five seasons.
Having been awards the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Region, the 30-1 IUP Crimson Hawks will host the regional tournament. West Liberty, both the Mountain East Conference Regular Season Champions and Tournament Champions, are the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic Region.
This Saturday's game will be a rematch of sorts as Fairmont State faced Virginia Union on Dec. 30 in Richmond, Va.. The hard-fought overtime game played over the holiday break left the Falcons on the short ends of an 88-83 game.
Saturday's game will be livestreamed on the IUP website. Ticket information and more details about the regional tournament will be released later this week.
In Sunday's Mountain East Conference final played in Wheeling's WesBanco Arena, Fairmont State was held to 42.7% shooting, while the Hilltoppers shot 50.6% from the floor and jumped out to a 20-point lead after half-time. The Hilltoppers made 18 three-pointers in the title game.
Falcons George Mangas and Tariq Woody scored 12 points each in the championship. Former Fairmont Senior standout Zyon Dobbs, who was named to the MEC All-Tournament Team with Isaiah Sanders, finished with 11 points and was one rebound short of his third-consecutive double-double. Briggs Parris snagged 11 points while Fonz Hale scored 10.
The Falcons take a solid 24-7 record into the D-II Tournament.
