The Fairmont State women's basketball team opens 2023 with a pair of Mountain East Conference contests. The Fighting Falcons welcome Alderson Broaddus to Joe Retton Arena on Wednesday (Jan. 4) at 5:30 p.m. Fairmont State concludes the week on the road at Notre Dame (Ohio) on Saturday (Jan. 7) at 2 p.m.
Fighting Falcons Facts
- The Fighting Falcons begin 2023 with an 8-4 overall record and a 4-2 MEC record. Fairmont State checked in at No. 8 in the latest D2SIDA Atlantic Regional rankings released on Jan. 2.
- Before the break, the Fighting Falcons knocked off Hawaii Hilo on Dec. 17 during their trip to the "Aloha State". Katy Darnell earned her third double-double of the season and Jalen Gibbs netted 17 points and nine rebounds in the win. Fairmont State fell to Western Washington on the final game of the trip, 76-63.
- As a team, the Fighting Falcons have succeeded at the free throw line this season. Fairmont State leads the country in free throw attempts per game (29.6) and free throws made per game (21.7).
- Darnell was selected as MEC Player of the Week for the second time this season on Dec. 20. Darnell's 17.2 points per game is the eighth-highest mark in the MEC. The Charleston, W.Va. native scored a career-high 31 points on Nov. 27 at Slippery Rock. The dual-sport student-athlete is a member of the Fairmont State softball team and helped the team win the 2022 MEC Tournament Championship.
- Alyssa DeAngelo has averaged 19.8 points per game through 12 games. The junior guard from Jefferson Hills, Pa. scored a career-high 34 points on Nov. 19 at Davis & Elkins. Her points per game mark rank 16th in the country.
- Jertaya Hall totaled a season-high 21 points on Dec. 18 versus Western Washington. Hall has eclipsed double figures in nine games and is averaging 10.7 ppg.
- Gibbs has grabbed 88 rebounds and is averaging 7.3 rebounds per game. Gibbs has accumulated a team-high 13 blocks on the defensive end of the floor while averaging 10.0 points per game.
- Floor general Madeline Huffman has passed 37 assists, which leads the Falcons. Huffman has chalked up at least one assist in every contest this season.
- Aaliyah Brunny dished out five assists in the team's win at Hawaii-Hilo. The sophomore from Vienna, W.Va. has made 23 of 28 free throw attempts, good for an 82.1% mark at the charity stripe. Brunny, DeAngelo and Darnell are the three Fairmont State players who hold free throw shooting percentages above 80% with more than 10 free throw attempts.
- Graduate student Gracey Lamm has racked up 18 assists this season. The Clarksburg, W.Va. native distributed a game-high six assists versus West Virginia Wesleyan on Nov. 22.
- Stephanie Anderson is in her fourth season leading the Falcons.
Scouting Alderson Broaddus
After defeating West Virginia Wesleyan in Buckhannon, the Battlers dropped its last two games to Davis & Elkins and Salem before the holiday break. AB enters 2023 with a 3-8 overall record and a 2-4 conference mark.
Cleveland, Ohio forward Iyahnna Williams has posted 10 or more points in 10 of 11 games this season. Williams is averaging 19.1 points per game, which is the fourth-highest average in the MEC and is the team's leading rebounder, averaging 8.9 rebounds per game. Hannah Taylor has scored 12.0 points per game and leads the Battlers with nine blocks.
Fairmont State has won 11 of the last 13 meetings between Alderson Broaddus and swept the series in 2022. AB's last win versus Fairmont State came on March 1, 2021, in Fairmont.
Ta-Rel Franklin is in his inaugural season leading AB women's basketball. Franklin graduated from Alderson Broaddus in 2016.
Scouting Notre Dame (Ohio)
NDC fell to No. 9 Tampa and Florida Tech on a trip to Florida to close out 2022, bringing their overall record to 3-9. The Falcons will play at Frostburg State on Wednesday before hosting Fairmont State on Saturday.
NDC swept last year's series and defeated the Fighting Falcons 84-73 on its home court in January of 2022. Notre Dame (Ohio) has won five of the last six meetings, with Fairmont State's last win coming on Feb. 17, 2021, in Joe Retton Arena.
Alana Ellis has made 80 field goal attempts, which is the third-highest total in the nation. Ellis has totaled 234 field goal attempts, which is the second-highest number in the nation. The redshirt sophomore guard from Twinsburg, Ohio is the lone NDC player who averages above 10.0 points per game and ranks sixth in the conference with 18.6 points per game.
Former NDC women's basketball assistant coach Imani Gordon was elevated to the head coach position in 2021. She has led the Falcons to a 15-13 record in MEC games during her tenure as the head coach of NDC women's basketball.
Up Next
Fairmont State will travel to Wheeling on Jan. 11 before hosting West Liberty on Jan. 14.
