FAIRMONT, W.Va. -- The Fairmont State women's basketball team (10-6, 6-4 Mountain East Conference) fell to West Liberty (9-6, 7-3 MEC) on Saturday (Jan. 14) afternoon at Joe Retton Arena.
 
Jalen Gibbs recorded her fourth double-double of the season and scored 15 points while pulling down 13 boards. Alyssa DeAngelo finished with a game-high 21 points and is now five points shy of 1,000 career points. Katy Darnell (16 points) and Aaliyah Brunny (12 points) rounded out the double-figure scorers for the Falcons.
 
Fairmont State jumped out to a 6-2 lead after Darnell forced a steal that turned into a Brunny fastbreak layup at the other end. West Liberty scored the next six points and led by two with just under six minutes in the first quarter. Darnell ended a scoring drought of over three minutes to tie the game at eight. The Hilltoppers outscored Fairmont State by two in the final 2:26 of the first quarter and led after one. WLU extended their lead to seven in the opening minute of the second period. DeAngelo sank a three that put the Falcons back in the lead, 24-22 with 4:30 remaining in the first half. After WLU regained the lead, Laney Whitmore capitalized on a fast break opportunity after Madeline Huffman found her in stride for a layup to put the home team back in front. The 'Toppers led by two points after 20 minutes of play.
 
The Fighting Falcons pulled ahead after Gibbs made a putback layup at the 8:24 mark in the third. The visitors responded with a 6-0 run and led by two possessions. Brunny trimmed the deficit to two points with just under five minutes remaining in the quarter. With Fairmont State behind by four points, the Hilltoppers netted seven-straight points and extended the lead to double digits with 1:19 to go in the third. WLU held a 12-point advantage heading into the final period. The Hilltoppers owned a double-digit lead for the first 4:39 of the final quarter. WLU led by as many as 15 points in the final minutes of the game and picked up a 13-point road victory.
 
The Fairmont State women's basketball team is back in action on Monday (Jan. 16) for a non-conference meeting at Salem. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m.