SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. -- Demond Tapscott (Fauquier/Warrenton, VA) scored 19 points to lead Shepherd College to a 61-59 upset win over Fairmont State in WVIAC men's basketball action at the Butcher Athletic Center.
The Rams never trailed in the game as they got off to hot start with a 13-0 run to open the game. Shepherd held a 37-24 lead at the intermission.
Trailing 58-48 with just over four minutes to play, Fairmont went on a 7-0 run fueled by six points from Kenny Richardson, to close to within three points at 58-55 with 2:20 remaining. After Tapscott and Kevin Newsome each hit 1-of-2 free throws to extend the Ram lead to 60-55, Mario Finley hit a layup and Darryl Hepburn added a putback to cut the lead to 60-59 with nine seconds to play. Tapscott hit the first of two free throws with seven seconds to play, and the Falcons grabbed the rebound called time out with one second remaining. Fairmont's inbound play was swatted away and Shepherd held on for the two-point win.
Ryan Jones (Banneker/Washington, DC) added 10 points and seven rebounds for the Rams, while Kevin Newsome (Archbishop Carroll/Washington, DC) added nine points, eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Keith Davis (Berkeley Springs (Mercersburg Academy)/Berkeley Springs, WV) tied Newsome for team-high rebounding honors with eight boards to go along with his eight points. Phil Stewart (The Heights School/New Carrollton, MD) added eight points and seven rebounds.
Fairmont was led by Kenny Richardson with a game-high 21 points. Darryl Hepburn added 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Shepherd snapped a seven-game losing skid to the Falcons with the victory. Shepherd's last win over Fairmont was a 72-68 win at Fairmont on Feb. 15, 1997. Shepherd's last home win over Fairmont was 72-71 triumph over the then third-ranked Falcons on Feb. 17, 1996.
The Rams improve to 5-6, 3-2 in conference action, while Fairmont State falls to 7-5, 1-3. Shepherd returns to action on Monday to host Alderson-Broaddus for a 8:00 p.m. contest.