Women's Basketball Concludes Season with MEC Semifinal Loss to Fairmont

WHEELING, W.Va. – The Frostburg State Women's Basketball team fell in their MEC Tournament Semifinal contest to Fairmont State, dropping the game 74-49 on Saturday to conclude their season.
 
Frostburg took the jump ball to get things going, unable to get anything out of their first possession.  Fairmont missed their first attempt at a score down at the other end, as both teams struggled to find the bottom of the net in the first few minutes.  Over a minute into the game, the Falcons struck first off a made layup underneath.  Senior Emilee Weakley responded quickly for the Bobcats, putting in their first score of the day off a layup as well.  Both teams traded blocks on the defensive end, with senior Jasmine Johnson racking up two in just the first quarter.  After another two and a half minute drought, sophomore Alanna Tate connected on a pullup jumper to push Frostburg ahead 4-2.  Fairmont sunk a three to go up 5-4 almost a minute later, as the Bobcats struggled to shoot from the field.  With under five to play in the first, the Falcons connected on nine more straight points, including a buzzer beater bucket to lead 14-4 after the first 10 minutes of play. 
 
Both teams started out slow once again in the second, with Fairmont getting on the board first at the charity stripe.  Frostburg continued their shooting struggles in the quarter, missing their first few attempts underneath and from the free throw line.  For over another two minutes, both squads sat silent, until Tate broke the ice for the Bobcats with a tip-in off an offensive rebound for a 16-6 game at the 6:38 mark.  Freshman Julie Spinelli then sunk a duo of free throws to get Frostburg within single digits.  Senior Taylor Smith swapped threes with Fairmont to sit the game at 19-11, before the Falcons connected on another triple to go back up by 11.  Spinelli and Smith each saw another trey for the Bobcats to finish out the quarter, as Fairmont added a few more points to their total at the free throw line, allowing the score to read 28-20 at the half. 
 
Graduate Sarah Shamdeen got things started to open up play in the third, earning a steal and scoring a fastbreak layup on the other end to get Frostburg within six quickly.  The Falcons didn't connect on their first bucket for over two minutes in, sinking a triple from deep.  That sparked a 7-0 run for Fairmont, as Shamdeen found herself with another layup underneath to bring the game to 35-24.  Spinelli followed with another trey from behind the arc, again bringing Frostburg within single digits.  Weakley laid in another bucket to see the score at 36-29, but Fairmont continued to show an answer each and every time.  The Falcons sparked a 6-0 run before the Bobcats got on the board again, as Shamdeen worked to break the drought once more for Frostburg.  Fairmont continued their success from deep and from the free throw line, outscoring the Bobcats 12-4 to end the quarter on top 55-35 with Tate and Smith earning the last two scores for Frostburg. 
 
The Falcons didn't let their foot off the gas, snagging the first five points of the fourth.  Smith took matters into her own hands, taking the first five points of the quarter for Frostburg with a layup and a triple.  Smith continued to battle with Fairmont, knocking down an and-one opportunity to see the score at 64-43.  The Falcons connected on another three as Spinelli was credited with an easy two down on the other end.  Smith continued to swap points with Fairmont as time went on, as Weakley hit a jumper for her final points of the day to sit the score at 72-49.  The Falcons put in the final bucket of the game with under two minutes to play, as time ticked down for a final score of 74-49. 
 
Smith carried Frostburg with 18 points, shooting 7-for-13 from the floor and 3-for-6 from deep.  Spinelli knotted her first career double-double going for 13 points and 12 rebounds.  Weakley, Shamdeen, and Tate all finished with six points each. 
 
With the loss, Frostburg concludes their season 19-11, while Fairmont moves on to the conference championship with an overall record of 26-4.  For more information and updates, please visit frostburgsports.com.