FAIRMONT, W.Va. – Fairmont State's Jason Jolly banked in an off-balance leaner with time running out here Sunday to snap a 104-104 tie, giving the Falcons a 106-104 victory against No. 8 West Liberty at Joe Retton Arena.
    In a back-and-forth game that saw 9 ties and 16 lead changes, Coach Ben Howlett's Hilltoppers (7-2, 5-1) had battled back from a 9-point deficit to forge the game's final deadlock only to see Jolly's improbable game-winner snap the Black and Gold's 7-game winning streak.
    Jolly – a 5-8 senior guard who scored 20 of his 30 points in the second half – had given Fairmont State (8-2, 6-0) its largest lead of the game, 100-91, and sent the home crowd into a frenzy with a 4-point play at the 4:37 mark.
    Hilltopper sophomore Dalton Bolon answered with seven straight points to make it a one-possession game, 100-98, with 2:41 to go only to see FSU's Vonte Montgomery cash in a conventional 3-point play for a 103-98 lead at the 2:24 mark.
    West Liberty freshman Yahel Hill scored at the other end and Bolon added two more free throws, trimming the lead to 103-102 with 1:37 to play.
    The Falcons' Andy Emrick made 1-of-2 free throws with 1:14 remaining before Hill evened things up for the Hilltoppers, 104-104, with a pair of clutch free throws at the 22-second mark.
    Playing for the final shot, Jolly dribbled the clock down into single digits and had to throw up a hurried two-handed toss from the right elbow after driving into a double-team. The ball hit high off the glass but caught the front of the rim and dropped through with 3 seconds left.
    The Hilltoppers got off a desperation 3-point try that drew iron but wouldn't fall as the buzzer sounded.
    Hill had a career-high 25 points to lead West Liberty's scoring parade while Bolon finished with 24 points, including a 10-for-10 showing from the charity stripe, to go along with game-highs of 11 rebounds and 4 assists. Eric Meininger added 13 points and 7 rebounds before fouling out down the stretch while Tyler Primmer and Luke Dyer added 12 and 10 points, respectively.
    Jolly was 7-of-11 from behind the 3-point arc – 5-of-6 in the second half – to account for the bulk of his 30 points. Montgomery led all scorers with 33 points and had a team-high 6 rebounds for the Falcons. Andy Emrick rounded out the hosts' double-figure scorers with 17 points.
    The WLU men will be idle this week due to semester exams but return to the court on Dec. 18 with a challenging non-conference road test at King University in Bristol, Tenn.