Published: November 19, 2008 11:28 pm      

MSU faces first road test tonight vs. Cumberlands

Points have come by the bucket full for Mountain State University this season. In five games, MSU has averaged 103.6 points per game.

However, all five of those games have come at the friendly confines of the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center.

For the first time this season, with the exception of the Cougars’ exhibition game in Morgantown, MSU takes to the road.

NAIA No. 3 Mountain State will battle No. 11 University of the Cumberlands tonight at 7 o’clock. The game will be broadcast live on WTNJ-105.9.

“Really good,” MSU coach Bob Bolen said of the 3-0 Patriots. “Really strong inside game, real good shooters and a lot of quickness. We’ve had some battles down there in the past and I’m not sure this isn’t going to be another one.”

While points have come early and often for Mountain State, one stat suggests this might be a different story.

Cumberlands is giving up just 49.3 points per game in three wins.

“If you take out the game with West Virginia, this is the best team we have played,” Bolen said. “This is a team that is good every year and I believe they may be better than they have ever been.”

Like Mountain State, the Patriots show four starters averaging double figures, led by Chad Byron, who averages 15 points per game. Xavier Prince averages 12, Luke Fitzgerald 11.7 and Terrance Asmond 10.3. Josh Phillips, the other starter, averages 8.3.

Andrew Lee leads the MSU attack, averaging 19.2 points per game. Anthony Pigram averages 18.3 and he already has 22 three-pointers on the season. Bo Harris averages 16 points and 9.8 rebounds, Tony Brown 11.6 points and 8.2 assists and Adison Mosquera rounds out the starting five (4.6 points and 4.6 rebounds).

“When you have two similar teams, and they are rated as high as these teams are, it’s a big game,” Bolen said. “So far, it’s the biggest game we’ve played. We have to play our best basketball to stay in this game.”

MSU returns home for a 2 p.m. game Saturday with Morris College.