Box Score CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- After pulling off a 79-78 upset win over No. 5 Fairmont on Friday, the Falcons kept the good times rolling as they defeated the fourth-ranked Wheeling Jesuit Cardinals in the Mountain East Conference Semifinals on Saturday evening. The sixth-seeded Falcons will now play in the MEC Championship game at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday against the fourth-seeded Concord Mountain Lions.
Tyree Gaiter scored 39 points on 10-15 shooting, including a 16-16 mark at the free thow line, to lead the Falcons to victory.
Will Vorhees had 11 points and 10 rebounds while
Ryan Hickoff added 12 points and five rebounds for the Falcons.
The Falcons (21-10, 14-10 Mountain East) fell behind 7-3 early, but stormed back with a 12-3 run to take a 15-9 lead with 11:26 remaining in the first half. Gaiter had 10 of the Falcons' first 15 points.
Both teams continued to battle in a back-and-forth first half, and the Falcons stayed in front with a 34-32 lead over the Cardinals at halftime.
Wheeling Jesuit opened the second half on a 9-2 run to take a 41-36 lead over NDC, but the Falcons never batted an eye. NDC maintained its composure for the entirety of the game, led by seniors Gaiter and Hickoff.
With 14:35 remaining,
Ja'Sean Lewis drained a 3-pointer to tie the score at 43-43, sparking a Falcons run.
Kyauta Taylor hit a jumper, Hickoff scored a tip-in bucket and Vorhees scored a lay-up to give the Falcons a 49-43 lead.
A few minutes later, the Falcons held a 57-50 lead following a Gaiter jumper with 7:06 remaining. The Falcons continued to force defensive stops, and Taylor hit a clutch 3-pointer to put the Falcons up by 10 points, 64-54, with 4:23 remaining.
The Falcons lead was trimmed to just four, 66-62, following a WJU 3-pointer with 1:27 remaining. The Cardinals then were forced to foul, and it was Gaiter who proved to have ice in his veins as he went 8-8 at the free throw line in the final minute of regulation.
Gaiter's free throws sealed the deal as the Falcons pulled off the 76-68 upset over the fourth-ranked and second-seeded Cardinals.
With the win, the Falcons improve to 21-10 on the season, including a 13-10 mark in MEC play. The Falcons advance to the MEC Championship game on Sunday, March 6 against Concord in the Charleston Civic Center.
Tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
