Women's Basketball Falls to Concord in Quarterfinals

WHEELING, W.Va. – The Frostburg State Women's Basketball team fell to sixth-seed Concord in the Quarterfinals of the Mountain East Conference Tournament on Thursday afternoon by a final score of 84-69.    
 
Frostburg got off to a quick start on both ends of the floor, freshmen Jenna Muha and Grace Middleton put the first four points on the board for the Bobcats, as Concord coughed up two turnovers in the opening minutes.  The Mountain Lions pushed for nine straight points to start their scoring drive, jumping in front 9-4.  Graduate Maggie Sharp fought back for the Bobcats, knocking down back-to-back three pointers to put FSU back in front 10-7 around the halfway mark of the first.  CU went two-for-two at the free throw line to get within one, before sophomore Emilee Weakley laid in her first points of the day, followed by freshman Alanna Tate earning her points of the day as well, increasing Frostburg's lead to 14-11.  Both teams each saw another score to end the first with FSU up 17-13.
 
Weakley and Concord traded buckets to kick off the second quarter, before the Mountain Lions connected from deep, followed by a lay-in, to take a 20-19 advantage.  Both teams battled over the next few minutes, before Weakley connected on a mid-range jumper to push the Bobcats back in front 23-22.  A one-for-two trip from the charity stripe for CU tied the game at 23, before the Mountains Lions hit one from deep to go up 26-23.  Freshman Mandy Roman got her hands in the passing lane on Concord's next try at offense, connecting on a fastbreak layup to bring FSU within one.  Weakly put the Bobcats back in front 28-26 with a three from the top of the key, as the Mountain Lions battled back to tie things up at 30 apiece.  Both teams played good defense to wind out the half, as a jumper from senior MacKenzie Freeze gave Frostburg a 34-32 advantage at the break. 
 
Tate secured the first points of the second half for either team, connecting on a jumper to push FSU's lead to 36-32.  Everything started to go right for CU over the next two minutes, as the Mountain Lions created turnovers that led to easy buckets, allowing them to jump in front 41-36.  Tate stopped the drought for the Bobcats on a second-chance layup, as junior Jasmine Johnson followed with a layup of her own, bringing the game to 41-40.  CU would go right back up by four, knocking down a three to allow the score to read 44-40.  Before the midway mark of the third, both teams traded free throws with Sharp going for a perfect trip from the line, making the score 46-42.  Everything continued to go right for the Mountain Lions, as they created another Frostburg turnover that led to an easy bucket.  Weakley answered right back, securing a layup of her own, as the score saw 48-44.  CU went on to score five straight points, setting them up for an 8-2 run that would give them a 56-46 lead.  With under one minute left in the third, Weakley would drain a three from deep, as the score read 60-51 in favor of Concord heading into the fourth and final quarter. 
 
Sharp would connect on a free throw to get the scoring started in the fourth, as the Mountain Lions responded scoring seven straight points to increase their lead to 67-52.  Everything continued to go right for CU on both ends of the floor, tying their largest lead of the night with a 72-54 score with 5:37 left in regulation.  FSU went on to score six straight points of their own, trying to get something going on offense, bringing the score to 72-60.  Concord connected on a trey to go right back up by 15, as both teams traded points over the next minute.  The Mountains Lions continued to dominate on offense, as Frostburg struggled to defend, as the score read 83-65 with around a minute and half left in the game.  Weakley tacked on two more free throws to Frostburg's score as Sharp laid in a bucket, as the final score read 84-69 in favor of Concord. 
 
Three Bobcats scored in double figures in Weakley (18), Sharp (16), and Roman (10), as Sharp and Roman collected three steals each, with the latter pulling down seven rebounds as well.  Johnson led the team in rebounds with 12.  With Frostburg's last points of the game, Sharp secured her 1,000^th career point, having played at Towson for two years prior to coming to FSU. 
 
With the loss, FSU finishes the season with an overall record of 18-11, while Concord moves to a record of 17-12, advancing on to face West Virginia State in the Semifinals on Saturday, March 9.