There’s an old saying that suggests those who forget history are condemned to repeat it.

The Fairmont State Fighting Falcons knew Anderson University’s history in the first round of the NCAA Division II Basketball Tournament, and there was still nothing they could do to change it.

The Lady Trojans entered Friday’s East Regional game at Memorial Fieldhouse in Indiana, Pa., 4-0 in NCAA first round games, and after 40 minutes the mark was up to 5-0 thanks to a 62-50 victory.

Fairmont State (25-7) hung tough with Anderson (28-3), taking advantage of a slow start by the Conference Carolinas team and grabbing a 9-0 lead in the first half. But AU settled down, surged ahead 12-11 and was able to keep the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Association representatives at arm’s length.

“It was a terrific effort by our team,” said Anderson coach Jeff Dow. “We got behind 9-0 and did a great job of responding. In the second half, we played great defense, and we made a lot of hustle plays.”

Freshman Alexa Neal continued her late-season heroics, once again serving as a spark coming off the bench. In this contest she finished with a game-high 17 points, and iced the contest down the stretch with six free throws.

Neal also connected on three, 3-point goals and had five steals, three rebounds, and two assists.

“We did a great job of changing defenses,” Dow said. “Our extended zone pressure was the best it has been all season. Our players did a great job of executing the defensive game plan.”

Also aiding the cause was the play of Keana Boyd and Latrice Thomas. Boyd, the newest member of Anderson’s 1,000-point club, scored 12 points while Thomas pumped in 10.

“It was a physical game, but a little contact never hurt anybody,” Thomas said.

In a rare turn of events the Lady Trojans actually lost the battle of the boards, with Fairmont State outrebounding the winners, 40-39.

But while Nikki Anthony was held in check from a scoring standpoint, she managed a game-high 13 rebounds.

Molly Kiger was the only Fighting Falcon to hit double digits, scoring 12.

With another first round regional win in the books, Anderson now turns its attention to California-Pennsylvania, 70-54 winners over Millersville Friday. Dow said the Vulcans (25-6) will offer a very different challenge for his squad.

“Cal is a different animal,” Dow said. “They want to play 94 feet. They’re a solid team with five new starters this year. They have excellent guards. We will be facing more pressure.”