Women's Basketball Drops Road Contest to Yellow Jackets in Overtime

INSTITUTE, W.Va. – The Frostburg State Women's Basketball team dropped their road game to West Virginia State on Wednesday evening, falling by a score of 88-79 in overtime.
 
Graduate Sarah Shamdeen laid in the first bucket of the night with a driving layup in the paint, as West Virginia State put up their first bucket on the next possession.  Senior Taylor Smith got rolling with a triple for another Frostburg lead, as freshman Julie Spinelli and senior Emilee Weakley scored the next two buckets for FSU, increasing their advantage to 9-4.  WVSU didn't score for over two minutes, as the Bobcats sparked for a 9-0 run for almost three minutes, keeping the Yellow Jackets scoreless until about the two-minute mark.  West Virginia State then took five straight points of their own, as Weakley put in the final five points of the quarter herself, leaving Frostburg on top 23-11 after the first. 
 
Shamdeen again knocked down the first points of the quarter, sinking a three from outside.  Both teams exchanged points to open the second, as Weakley was able to keep the Bobcats in front by 12.  Five more consecutive points from the Yellow Jackets brought the game to 29-22, but two scores from sophomore Alanna Tate moved it back to a double-digit differential.  Two free throws from Spinelli put FSU in the lead by 13, with another bucket from Tate seeing a 39-24 game.  Spinelli and Tate worked to keep Frostburg's lead at 15 as time ticked down in the half.  WVSU connected on a three for their last points of the quarter, with Tate laying in the final points of the half, putting FSU in front 46-33 at the break. 
 
Frostburg got on the board first to begin action in the third, with once again Shamdeen picking up the points.  Neither team saw a score for around two minutes, until West Virginia State put in their first bucket of the quarter.  WVSU went on to score six more unanswered points, bringing the score to 49-42.  Weakley broke the Bobcats' silence with a perfect trip from the charity stripe, putting FSU back in front by double digits.  Senior Jasmine Johnson got her first points of the night with a jumper in the paint, swapping points with the Yellow Jackets.  Weakley then traded points with West Virginia State as time went on, increasing FSU's lead to 59-45.  Tate moved the game to a 14-point margin, as again, Weakley added to Frostburg's total.  WVSU answered with a pair of triples to bring the game back to 10, but Spinelli and Weakley dropped in layups to finish out the third with a lead of 67-55.
 
Smith got things rolling in the fourth, as both teams were unable to score for the first minute and a half.  Both squads remained silent for another 90 seconds, with both teams seeing missed shots, and West Virginia State picking up two steals.  Just under the seven minute mark, WVSU put in their first points of the quarter, as the Yellow Jackets were able to bring the game to a 10-point differential.  Shamdeen laid in another easy two in response, as West Virginia State took five straight points to see a 71-64 score.  Johnson added a bucket to FSU's total, but at the 2:37 mark, the Yellow Jackets scored nine unanswered points, allowing the clock to reach 34 seconds and a tie game at 73.  Frostburg missed their next shot, as WVSU then fouled, sending Tate to the line, where she sunk both free throws to put the Bobcats on top 75-73 with three seconds left.  With one second left, West Virginia State knocked down their final attempt, sending the game to overtime with a 75-75 game. 
 
With five more minutes to play, Weakley opened up the extra period with a fastbreak layup in the paint.  WVSU took the lead over a minute later, sinking a triple for a 78-77 edge.  Johnson then swapped layups with the Yellow Jackets, but five consecutive points by West Virginia State advanced their lead to 85-79 with 1:43 left to play.  Frostburg struggled to get their rhythm on offense, as the Yellow Jackets added three more points to their score to remain in front 88-79 with a minute to go.  Both teams were unable to put anymore points on the board, as FSU missed their final two shots, dropping the game 88-79.
 
Weakley led all scorers with 25 points, grabbing 12 rebounds for a double-double, while going 11-for-13 from the foul line.  Shamdeen and Tate both finished with 14 points each, with the former dishing out four assists and the latter seeing 11 rebounds for a double-double as well.  Smith was next with 11 points, while Spinelli showed seven points and nine rebounds. 
 
With the loss, Frostburg falls to 12-9 on the season, while West Virginia State goes to 9-11.  The Bobcats return home for their next contest, hosting Charleston (WV) on Saturday, February 8 at 2 PM.  For more information and updates, please visit frostburgsports.com.