FAIRMONT, W.Va. – Jalen Gibbs led the Falcons with 20 points and Katy Darnell netted 15 points and 15 boards for her sixth double-double of the season as the Fairmont State women's basketball team (16-8) knocked off Bluefield State (10-11) 81-71 in the team's final non-conference game of the season on Monday (Feb. 6) at Joe Retton Arena.
 
Gibbs made 10-of-13 shot attempts and hustled down seven boards. Monday's game marked the second time this season Gibbs scored 20 or more points. Darnell converted 6-of-7 shots for 15 points and secured nine rebounds on defense and six on offense. She added a trio of assists to her stat line. Jertaya Hall totaled 13 points and drained a pair of three-point baskets. Alyssa DeAngelo also made two three-point shots to go with her 12 points and passed two assists. Gracey Lamm passed four assists and recorded one steal. Madeline Huffman led Fairmont State with three steals and kicked in three assists.
 
The Falcons shot 57.6% from the field and went a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. The defense held Bluefield State to 35.6% shooting and forced 15 turnovers. Fairmont State won the rebounding margin by 16 and scored 14 second-chance points. The Big Blue capitalized on 37 points off of Fairmont State turnovers and the Falcons scored 46 points in the paint.
 
DeAngelo found Gibbs for an open layup to break open the scoring following a Bluefield State turnover. The junior from Wellington, Ohio finished another layup and Darnell connected on a jump shot to give the Falcons an early 6-0 lead. Darnell made a putback layup to extend the Falcons' lead to 12-4 with 2:44 left in the first quarter. B-State scored the final five points of the opening quarter and trailed the Falcons 12-9 after one. After Gibbs put home a layup, Bluefield State amassed a five-point run and tied the score at 14. Gibbs started a 7-0 scoring run for the home team with a layup and Brunny drained a triple on the next possession. Gibbs completed the run with a second-chance layup and the Falcons led 21-14. Following a Bluefield State jumper, the Falcons offense rolled on a 15-0 scoring run that spanned for over four minutes of game time. The Falcons led by as many as 20 points in the first half when Darnell scooped up an offensive rebound and made a layup at 2:26 on the clock. Fairmont State held a 15-point lead at intermission.
 
Darnell completed a three-point play that gave the Falcons a 23-point advantage with 7:10 remaining in the third quarter. Bluefield State began to chip away at the Fairmont State lead and trimmed the deficit to 13 points at the end of the third. The Falcons started the final quarter on a 12-0 run. Madeline Huffman and DeAngelo hit triples in consecutive trips down the floor to put the Falcons in front by 21 points. Lamm delivered an assist to Gibbs for her 20^th point that gave the Falcons their largest lead of the evening, a 26-point lead with 4:19 remaining. The Big Blue managed to cut into the Falcons' lead and finished the game on a 16-2 scoring run. The Falcons drained out the clock and fended off the comeback effort.
 
The Fairmont State women's basketball team resumes Mountain East Conference play on Wednesday (Feb. 8) when Notre Dame (Ohio) will visit Fairmont. The clash of the Falcons will begin at 5:30 p.m. inside Joe Retton Arena.