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1-28-10 WVIAC MBB Preview

Posted by CoachPMcGinnis on Thursday, January 28, 2010

(PRINCETON, W.Va.)---Thursday's WVIAC men's basketball action has the league's eight squads with .500 or better marks in conference play facing their counterparts with losing marks.
The feature matchup on Thursday's slate has resurgent Pitt Johnstown (8-7, 4-6), winners of three straight, at regionally-ranked Fairmont State (13-2, 8-2).
The youthful Mountain Cats have won consecutive contests versus Shepherd, Ohio Valley, and West Virginia Wesleyan. Head coach Bob Rukavina's squad leads the WVIAC in field goal accuracy at 52.8 percent.
Guard Danny Branch tops UPJ in scoring at 16.1 points per contest. Center Patrick Grubbs, who missed Saturday's win over WV Wesleyan with a sore ankle, chips in 15.9 points and 8.9 rebounds for the Mountain Cats.
Fairmont State, which is ranked No. 10 in the first NCAA Division II regional rankings of the season, hopes to bounce back from Saturday's three-point loss to Davis & Elkins in which the Falcons were limited to a season-low 68 points.
Steve Custis paces the Falcon attack with 17.1 points per game. Isaac Thornton adds 14.7 points, while Terrence Green provides 13.6 points and a team-best 6.6 rebounds per game. FSU could be playing their first full contest without the services of starting point guard Erv McFadden, who was injured in the Davis & Elkins loss.
The teams split two meetings last season. UPJ won 78-61 in Johnstown behind Grubbs' 19 points and 10 rebounds. FSU won the return match in Joe Retton Arena 93-85 as All-American guard Thad McFadden exploded for 37 points and 8 assists.
First place West Virginia State (13-2, 9-1) has trailed by double-digit margins at the half in their past two contests. The Yellow Jackets, who are ranked No. 3 in the Atlantic Region, will look for a quicker start at Bluefield State (3-12, 3-7).
West Liberty is the WVIAC's highest ranked squad in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region rankings at No. 2. The Toppers (13-1, 9-1) hit the road at Ohio Valley (3-12, 2-8).
Glenville State (5-10, 4-6) head coach Stephen Dye will try to spring the upset on his college coach when the Pioneers pay a visit to Alderson-Broaddus (13-2, 9-1). Greg Zimmerman's A-B squad has won 13 straight and is the sixth-ranked squad in the regional rankings.
Local bragging rights are at stake when West Virginia Wesleyan (2-13, 2-8) travels to Davis & Elkins (8-6, 6-4) for a neighborhood battle. The remainder of Thursday's schedule sees Wheeling Jesuit (9-6, 6-4) at Salem International (1-15, 1-9), Charleston (8-6, 7-3) at Concord (3-12, 2-8), and Shepherd (3-12, 3-7) at Seton Hill (7-8, 5-5).

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