by Chris Thomas, FSU Student Assistant

Buckhannon, W.Va. – WV Wesleyan shot 56 percent in the second half to roll past Fairmont State, 70-53 on Monday evening in Buckhannon.

The loss drops the Falcons to 6-10 overall and 4-8 in the WVIAC, while Wesleyan improves to 9-6 and 5-6 in the WVIAC.

The Bobcats shot 52 percent from the field, while holding the Falcons to 29 percent shooting. WV Wesleyan also held a 46-32 edge on the glass.

Steve Custis led the Falcons with 20 points and nine rebounds, while Isaac Thornton added a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Mike Hurd came off the bench to score nine points with a trio of three pointers.

The Bobcats were led by Reggie Chambers with 20 points and six rebounds. Raymont McElroy (16), Kelsey Williams (12) and Colby Wohlleb (10) also reached double figures for WV Wesleyan. Williams also had 13 rebounds to complete his double-double for the Bobcats.

WV Wesleyan opened the game with a commanding 17-2 run that lasted over six minutes. McElroy scored seven points to lead the Bobcats during that stretch.  Fairmont State would respond with an 18-7 run to cut the Wesleyan lead down to four points, 24-20 with six minutes to go in the opening half. Thornton scored 10 points during that stretch to lead the Falcons. Fairmont State shot just 32 percent from the field, while Wesleyan sank 48 percent of their shots in the first half. McElroy led all scorers with 13 points in the opening half, while Thornton had 10 points to lead the Falcons.

The Bobcats used a 13-2 run to open the second half and stretch its lead back to double digits with just 13 minutes to play. Wesleyan would continue to stretch their lead to as many as 23 in the second half and ran away with a 70-53 victory.

The Falcons return to action this Thursday when they travel to Glenville State, tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.