FAIRMONT, W.Va. -- Fairmont State closed out the last three minutes of the third quarter on an 11-1 run and never looked back on its way to a 78-63 victory over Shepherd on Saturday afternoon inside Joe Retton Arena.
 
With the win, FSU finishes the regular season with a 17-11 overall record and a 14-8 mark in league play. The Falcons will be the fifth-seed in next week's Mountain East Conference Tournament and will open tournament play on Thursday evening at 8:15 against Notre Dame College.
 
Following a strong finish to the third quarter, the Lady Falcons carried their momentum into the fourth quarter, holding a double-digit lead on all but one occasion for the remainder of the contest.
 
Fairmont State fought through seven ties and 10 lead changes while scoring 26 points off turnovers to earn the win. Shepherd turned the ball over 20 times, compared to just 11 for the Lady Falcons.
 
Deidra Combs scored team-high 18 points while Makenzie White added 17 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Amanda Ruffner and Emily Puskarich also chipped in double figures on senior day, scoring 14 and 13 points, respectively. The six FSU senior combined for 68 of Fairmont's 78 points in the win.
 
Cara Mason paced Shepherd (14-16, 11-11 MEC) with 17 points. Liz Myers netted 15 followed by Morgan Arden with 14. Mason also tallied a team-high eight rebounds.

Following Saturday's game, the FSU women's basketball program honored six seniors who played their final game inside Joe Retton Arena on Saturday afternoon. The 2017 seniors include Deidra Combs, Makenzie White, Amanda Ruffner, Emily Puskarich, Gabrielle Etter and Jazmine Hamlet.