MEC WBB Semifinal Preview: #4 Frostburg State vs #1 Fairmont State

WHEELING, W.Va. – After their first-ever MEC Tournament Quarterfinal victory, Frostburg State Women's Basketball is headed to the semifinals, where they will be rematched with the No. 1 seed Fairmont State on Saturday for a trip to the championship. 
 
How They Got Here: In their third year under Head Coach Jenna Eckleberry, Frostburg has qualified each year for the conference tournament.  The Bobcats currently hold a 19-10 overall record and a 12-8 showing in MEC play, working their way to fourth place in the conference.  The Bobcats are coming off a huge overtime victory over No. 5 Concord on Thursday evening in the quarterfinals, taking the game with a 94-87 final to send them to their first-ever MEC Semifinals.  Senior Emilee Weakley led all scorers with 30, with sophomore Alanna Tate finishing with 28 points after taking over in OT.  Senior Jasmine Johnson saw 10 points, 18 rebounds, and six blocks, including the game-saving block to send the game into overtime.   
 
Fairmont State comes in as the top-ranked team in the conference, sitting at No. 22 nationally.  The Falcons currently hold a 25-4 overall record, sitting with a 17-3 record in MEC competition.  Fairmont is coming off a strong 75-56 win over #8 Charleston (WV) in their quarterfinal matchup, sending them back to the semifinals.  Alyssa DeAngelo led Fairmont with 21 points, with Leslie Huffman (17) and Jalen Gibbs (14) showing double figures as well. 
 
The Matchup: The two teams look to battle it out once again as two of the best to do it in the MEC.  Fairmont holds the 10-2 record in the history of the two squads, as the Falcons took both matchups during the regular season.  Fairmont started with an 86-66 victory in the two teams first meeting in January, before holding on for a tight 92-82 win in overtime to conclude both team's regular season.  Frostburg had soared back to tie the game in the fourth quarter of their OT loss, getting the go-ahead bucket with two seconds left on the clock, but the Falcons were able to tie the game and pull out the win in OT.
 
The Players: Frostburg is led by star player Emilee Weakley, who rounds out her time in a Bobcat uniform this year, taking her third straight First Team All-MEC honor.  Weakley leads all divisions of NCAA Women's Basketball in scoring with 28.2 ppg, while averaging 8.7 rpg for fifth best in the MEC.  During the regular season, Weakley became the all-time leading scorer in program history, passing the great Shelia Colbert, while also surpassing the 2,000 career points mark in just three years.  Joining her as an offensive weapon is Second Team All-MEC member senior Taylor Smith, who is second on the team in scoring with 10.4 ppg, leading the team in three point percentage (45.7%) and assists per game (4.3).  Freshman Julie Spinelli sits right behind Smith in scoring, as the third Bobcat to average double figures, holding on to 10 ppg and six rebounds per game.  Alanna Tate and graduate Sarah Shamdeen fulfill their role on both sides of the court with the former leading the team in field goal percentage, shooting 59% from the field.  Jasmine Johnson serves as FSU's big underneath, averaging 6.7 rpg and leading the team in blocks with 53. 
 
The Falcons boast the 2025 MEC Player of the Year Leslie Huffman, who has solid stats all across the board, averaging 17.4 ppg for a team-best, while also pulling down 6.6 rpg.  Huffman also sits with 71 steals and 66 assists on the season so far, shooting 48.3% from the field, 41.7% from three, and 82.9% from the free throw line.  Joining Huffman on the All-MEC First team is Alyssa DeAngelo, who has made her mark on the program and the MEC during her career.  DeAngelo shows 14.9 ppg, providing all over the floor with 58 steals, 55 assists, and 21 blocks on the year.  Jalen Gibbs landed a spot on the All-MEC Second Team, being another strong player for Fairmont, putting up 13.2 ppg, seven rebounds a game, and a total of 51 blocks for a team-high.  Aaliyah Brunny and Madeline Huffman are other names to look out for on Fairmont, both seeing a significant amount of playing time, with the former collecting 65 steals on the year, and the latter dishing out a team-high 21 assists.  The Falcons are led by MEC Coach of the Year Stephanie Anderson.
 
Coverage: The MEC announced on Friday that the semifinal matchup between Fairmont State and Frostburg State will be regionally televised on MASN2.  MASN2 is a companion channel to the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN). MASN and MASN2 are regional sports networks that televise games for the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals, in addition to pre- and post-game shows, and men's and women's collegiate sports. MASN covers the Mid-Atlantic region, which stretches from Harrisburg, Pa., to Charlotte, N.C., and parts of West Virginia and Delaware.  Fans can watch MASN2 on DISH Network (Channel 433) and on DirecTV Stream (Channel 640-1). MASN2 can also be streamed on MASNsports.com and the MASN Mobile App.  Additionally, all MEC Basketball Tournament games can be streamed on MEC TV, and links to video streams, live statistics, press conferences, brackets, and digital program can be found on Tournament Central.
 
Wednesday, March 5 – MEC First Round
#7 West Virginia State def. #10 Point Park 82-58
#8 Charleston def. #9 West Liberty 66-43
 
Thursday, March 6 – MEC Quarterfinals
#7 West Virginia State def. #2 West Virginia Wesleyan 61-58
#6 Glenville State def. #3 Wheeling 58-49
#1 Fairmont State def. #8 Charleston 75-56
#4 Frostburg State def. #5 Concord 94-87 (OT)
 
Saturday, March 8 – MEC Semifinals
#1 Fairmont State vs. #4 Frostburg State – 12 PM
#6 Glenville State vs. #7 West Virginia State – 2:30 PM