ATHENS, W.Va. – Fairmont State limited Concord to 10 points and just two field goals in the fourth quarter to pull away with a 71-57 road victory over the Mountain Lions, the third-consecutive road win for the Falcons after starting the year with a 1-6 road record.
After an early battle in the first quarter, Fairmont State pulled away by as many as 14 points midway through the contest. However, with Fairmont State leading 33-23 at the halftime break, the Mountain Lions fought back in the third quarter, chipping away at the deficit to pull within four points (45-41) with 2:50 on the clock.
With Fairmont State still holding a four-point lead with under a minute remaining in the third,
Ozge Yarga dropped in a layup as time expired to push Fairmont's lead back to six (53-47) with a quarter to play.
The Falcons also scored the first four points of the fourth quarter to push their lead back to double digits. From that point, Fairmont State led by at least eight points the rest of the game before pushing the final margin to 14 (71-57).
Kelli Jo Harrison led the effort for Fairmont State (13-11, 8-10 MEC) with 17 points, 11 rebounds, four steals and two blocks in the victory.
Sierra Kotchman added 15 for the Falcons followed by
Ozge Yarga and
Molly Rinkevich with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Rinkevich matched her career-high scoring performance in the victory.
Rachel Laskody also chipped in eight points and eight rebounds for the Falcons.
Madison May paced Concord (11-12, 7-11 MEC) with 13 points in the loss. Emily Boothe netted 12 and Danielle Catron added 11 to give the Mountain Lions three players in double figures. Riley Fitzwater chipped in nine points while hauling in a team-high 11 boards in the setback.
Both teams' shot 35 percent from the field and Fairmont State edged Concord 45-44 on the glass. Fairmont State struggled from behind the arc, making just 1-of-21 attempts.
Fairmont State will return to action on Thursday evening, when the University of Charleston comes to town for a 5:30 p.m. MEC contest.
