FROSTBURG — DJ Daniel recorded a 28-point triple-double, and three others scored in double figures of Frostburg State’s 111-95 win over Salem on Wednesday at Bobcat Arena.
“Happy with the guys, our ability to bounce back,” FSU head coach Zack Thomsen said. “We’ve had a couple tough ones in a row, last two we haven’t played particularly well. Thought we played a lot better today.”
Daniel scored 16 points in the first half and also recorded 11 rebounds, 11 assists, three blocks and two steals.
“We were all just hitting our shots,” Daniel said. “Moving the ball, getting great looks.”
Trailing 6-2 to open the game, the Bobcats (8-7) took the lead at 8-6 on a tomahawk dunk from Trey Simmons with 16:30 left in the half.
Frostburg led the remainder of the game.
The closest the Tigers (6-8) got was 29-27 with 8:14 remaining on a 3-pointer by Carl Toomer.
The Bobcats ended the half on a 34-16 run and led 63-43 at halftime.
“I thought we turned them over a couple times, forced them into some tougher shots,” Thomsen said. “We were able to score the ball pretty well in that stretch, got really good looks for ourselves.”
Trey Simmons scored 20 points in the first half and finished with a game-high 34, adding three rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block for the Bobcats.
As of Tuesday, Simmons was fifth in Division II averaging 22.9 points per game.
Simmons averaged 10.3 points as a freshman last season.
“I think just his understanding of the game,” Thomsen said of Simmons’ growth. “He had a lot of talent last year, but he was kinda wild and out of control. I think this year, he’s really figured out how to play within himself and play to his strengths. He’s probably more athletic than he was last year, he shoots it better, handles it better around the rim.”
Mitch Finefrock scored 15 of his 18 points in the first half, connecting on five triples with three rebounds and a block.
FSU shot 22 of 31 (71%) from the field in the first half including 7 of 15 (47%) from beyond the arc.
Salem shot 17 of 31 (56%) from the field and 4 of 7 (57%) from range.
The Tigers outscored the Bobcats 52-48 in the second half, but Frostburg led by at least 14 points the rest of the night.
Christopher Meakin finished with 10 points, six boards, three assists and three steals while Kyle Whippen scored nine points with seven rebounds, two blocks and a steal for Frostburg.
“I think we moved the ball pretty well,” Thomsen said. “We got really good looks. When you get good looks, generally speaking, if you’ve got good players, you’re gonna score a lot of points.”
Salem had four players score in double figures, led by Zakhi Fallen’s 27.
Toomer scored 16, Eman Lawal added 14 and Jamari Gamble had 11. Lawal added five rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
The Bobcats travel to Point Park (3-9) on Saturday at 4 p.m.
“They’re undersized, but they’re scrappy,” Thomsen said. “They play real hard. I haven’t watched a ton of film on them, but they’re gonna play hard. Everybody in our league plays hard.”