Third Quarter Push Helps Women's Basketball Take Down D&E in Conference Opener

FROSTBURG, Md. – The Frostburg State Women's Basketball team took their MEC season opener on Saturday afternoon, defeating Davis & Elkins by a final score of 83-71. 
 
Davis & Elkins got on the board first, as Frostburg responded right away with their first score of the game off a driving layup in the paint from sophomore Alanna Tate.  Both teams traded their next buckets, before senior Taylor Smith hit a three in transition to put Frostburg on top 7-4.  Back-to-back threes from the Senators helped them tie the game and take the lead, before a trey from freshman Julie Spinelli put the Bobcats back in front 12-10 around the six-minute mark.  Senior Emilee Weakley laid in bucket for a 14-10 game, but D&E rallied to jump ahead 16-14.  Both teams saw a scoring drought for the next few possessions, until Davis & Elkins knotted another jumper to go up by four with 2:41 left in the first.  Sophomore Grace Middleton dropped in her first score of the day for FSU, followed by graduate Sarah Shamdeen scoring a tough two, bringing the first quarter score to 23-18 in favor of D&E.
 
Weakley dropped in the first points of the second, trading scores with the Senators to open up the quarter.  Both Weakley and sophomore Jenna Muha got the Bobcats within one, before another layup from Weakley sat the score at 28-27 in favor of Frostburg.  A free throw from Shamdeen extended FSU's advantage, before a layup from Spinelli off a fastbreak moved the game to 31-27.  Davis & Elkins connected on a three pointer and an easy two to jump back in front 32-31, before a free throw from senior Jasmine Johnson tied the game at 32 with 3:24 left in the half.  The Senators stayed hot behind the arch to remain in front, before buckets from Shamdeen and Johnson sat the game at a 38-38 tie heading into the break. 
 
Each team dealt with a few misses to start the third quarter, until Muha was fouled underneath the basket, sending her to the foul line for a perfect two-for-two trip and another lead for FSU.  D&E marched down court and quickly laid in a basket to tie things up once again, before Frostburg started to roll with the lead off a three from Smith and a tip-in from Muha.  Another layup from Spinelli built the Bobcat's lead to 49-44, before a score in the paint from the Senators ended their drought and sat the score at a three-point game.  Smith and Spinelli both secured a duo of points at the charity stripe for FSU's next four points, as the Bobcats continued to push and extend their lead off scores from Tate and Shamdeen.  Tate swapped points in the paint with Davis & Elkins as time wound out in the third, as Shamdeen sunk two more free throws to see a 61-51 game heading into the fourth and final quarter. 
 
The Senators knocked down a jumper to get things rolling in the fourth, before back-to-back scores from Weakley increased the Bobcats edge to 65-53.  Weakley kept on going with two more layups over the next two minutes, before D&E saw two free throws for their first score of the quarter over four minutes in.  Johnson racked up a block on the defensive end to keep FSU's spark going, as again, Weakley put four more points on the board for Frostburg.  Davis & Elkins responded with a three to see a 73-59 game with 3:37 left in regulation.  Weakley saw another bucket down low, before senior Harley Herndon got on the board from the charity stripe to see a 76-65 score.  Weakley and Johnson each saw a pair of points, with Johnson adding another point to her total off an and-one conversion for a 16-point game with 1:31 left to play.  As time ran down, freshman Laekyn Flinn scored her first collegiate basket for the final points of the game for Frostburg, leaving the final score 83-71 in favor of FSU. 
 
Weakley led all scorers with 28 on the day, shooting 12-for-20 from the floor.  Spinelli and Shamdeen were both next with nine, while Smith, Muha, and Tate all contributed eight.  Muha grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, while Johnson finished with six and Spinelli pulled down five.  Smith dished out a team-high five assists. 
 
With the win, Frostburg improves to 4-2 on the season, while Davis & Elkins drops to 0-5.  The Bobcats remain at home for their next contest, welcoming in West Virginia Wesleyan on Tuesday, November 26 at 5:30 PM.  For more information and updates, please visit frostburgsports.com.