INSTITUTE, W.Va. – The Fairmont State women's basketball team (5-2, 3-1 Mountain East Conference) dropped a conference matchup to West Virginia State (6-1, 3-1 MEC) on Saturday (Dec. 3) afternoon at the Walker Convocation Center.
 
The Falcons trailed by 25 points with just over a minute remaining in the second quarter. Fairmont State stormed back, and Katy Darnell trimmed the lead to one point with a jumper with 15 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The Yellow Jackets maintained the lead in the final moments of the game and won by five.
 
Alyssa DeAngelo led all scorers with 21 points and shot 7-of-10 from the field. Darnell turned in 14 points and led Fairmont State with six boards, with three coming from the offensive end. DeAngelo and Darnell each snagged three steals. Leslie Huffman (12 points), Jalen Gibbs (11 points) and Madeline Huffman (10 points) all finished in double figures.
 
In the opening quarter, the Falcons netted seven consecutive points to jump ahead 13-10 after Aaliyah Brunny's triple. The Yellow Jackets ended the first quarter on a 17-2 scoring spree and led by 12 points after the first quarter. Gibbs and Darnell each made a layup to begin the second quarter. The Yellow Jackets amassed a 13-0 run and led by 21 points halfway through the second period. Noah Harris came off the bench and chipped in five points to lead Fairmont State in the second quarter. WVSU held a 51-30 cushion at intermission.
 
Fairmont State returned from the locker room and produced a six-point scoring run, which was capped off by DeAngelo's second three-pointer of the game. DeAngelo converted a free throw at the 5:13 mark in the third to cut the deficit to 10 points. A Leslie Huffman three and a pair of free throws by Darnell saw the WVSU lead evaporate to six points with 1:37 remaining in the penultimate quarter. The Yellow Jackets responded and closed the quarter on a 5-0 run.
 
The Falcons would not go away and rallied late in the fourth quarter. Down by 12 points with 5:20 left, Darnell, Jertaya Hall and DeAngelo each contributed a basket that put FSU within six points. WVSU answered with a three-pointer to push the lead to nine points. DeAngelo made a pair of free throws and a two-point field goal to put the Falcons within five points. 
 
After a Yellow Jackets' three, Hall connected with a shot from beyond the arc, and Fairmont State trailed by four points with 2:18 remaining. WVSU drove in for a layup and led by six with 90 seconds remaining. Madeline Huffman delivered a three, and three points separated Fairmont State from WVSU with 43 seconds to go. The Falcons forced a turnover and regained possession at the 36-second mark. Darnell swished a two-point shot and the Falcons trailed by one with 15 seconds left. WVSU converted two free throws and pushed the lead to three. The Yellow Jackets' defense kept Fairmont State off the scoreboard in the final possession, and WVSU edged Fairmont State, 90-85.
 
The Falcons will return to the road on Tuesday (Dec. 6) for a conference battle with Concord at 5:30 p.m.