HONOLULU – The Fairmont State women's basketball team (8-4) fell to nationally ranked No. 8/10 Western Washington (7-1) on Sunday (Dec. 18) night at The Shark Tank on the campus of Hawaii Pacific in Honolulu.
 
Jertaya Hall netted a game-high 21 points and shot 7-for-15 from the field. Hall added three steals to her stat line. Katy Darnell totaled 14 points and seven rebounds, while Alyssa DeAngelo finished with 13 points and two steals.

The Vikings made 10 shots from beyond the arc and held the Falcons to five three-pointers. Fairmont State converted 20 out of 29 free throws, while WWU shot 8-of-16 from the charity stripe. The Western Washington bench players accounted for 49 of the team's 76 points and the Vikings outrebounded Fairmont State by 15.
 
With the score tied at 9 in the first quarter, the Vikings scored four consecutive points and led 13-9. The Falcons answered when Huffman found Hall for a three-pointer with less than two minutes remaining in the first quarter. Western Washington finished the quarter by ripping off 10 straight points and held a 23-12 lead at the end of one.
 
Hall connected on another three-point basket that ended the WWU scoring run in the second quarter. The Vikings led by as many as 15 points in the second quarter. Hall drilled her third three of the first half and sparked an 11-0 Fairmont State scoring run that pulled the Falcons within five points. The Vikings ended the first half with five straight points and led 40-30 at the break.
 
DeAngelo forced a Western Washington turnover with a steal and finished on the other end with a layup that put the Falcons behind 48-37 halfway through the third quarter. The Vikings took command in the final minutes of the third quarter and increased their lead to 67-46 at the end of the third quarter. The Vikings led by as many as 23 points in the fourth quarter. The Falcons fought back and closed the game by scoring nine consecutive points. The comeback effort fell short and WWU was victorious, 76-63.
 
The Fairmont State women's basketball team will return to Joe Retton Arena in 2023 for a Mountain East Conference matchup versus Alderson Broaddus on Jan. 4 at 5:30 p.m.