WHEELING, W.Va. – The Fairmont State (23-9) women's basketball team's upset effort came up just short in the Mountain East Conference Tournament Semifinals versus the No. 4-ranked team in the country, Glenville State (28-2), on Saturday (March 4) at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, W.Va.
The Falcons held the defending national champions to its lowest first-half point total of the season and led by seven points at intermission. The Pioneers fought back and held on to clinch a spot in the MEC Championship game.
"Our team fought from start to finish, and I am extremely proud of them," said Fairmont State head coach
Stephanie Anderson. "Glenville is a great team, and when you give them a minute, that's all they need."
The Fighting Falcons ripped off 10 consecutive points to start the game and did not allow a point until the 4:34 mark of the first quarter.
Jertaya Hall got things started and banked in a three-pointer on the team's first offensive possession.
Katy Darnell finished a layup and
Jalen Gibbs followed with another layup to put the Falcons ahead by seven points.
Madeline Huffman completed a behind-the-back move and finished at the rim with a layup plus a foul. She hit the free throw to finish the Falcons' 10-0 opening run. GSU trimmed the Fairmont State lead to two points with 1:29 left in the first quarter. Hall hit her second three of the quarter and Gibbs finished a move in the paint to push the Fairmont State lead to 19-12 at the end of the first quarter.
Darnell made a cross-court pass to
Alyssa DeAngelo, who swished a three-pointer at the 7:14 mark to make the score 24-16 in favor of the Falcons. A Darnell free-throw and another longball by DeAngelo extended the FSU lead to 12 points. DeAngelo continued to put the ball in the net in the second quarter and finessed an old-fashioned three-point play on a drive to the bucket that kept the Falcons' lead at double figures. The Pioneers closed the gap to seven and Fairmont State went into the locker room with a 35-28 lead.
The Pioneers punched back with eight-straight points and grabbed the lead for the first time all game at the 8:07 mark in the third quarter. After two lead changes, DeAngelo made a three-pointer in transition to tie the score at 40. Hall put Fairmont State back in front, 46-44, with a fastbreak layup and a foul. The Pioneers and Falcons exchanged the lead and had four tie scores in the last three minutes of the third. GSU scored the last three points of the third quarter and led 56-53 after three.
GSU led by as many as seven points in the first three minutes to start the fourth quarter. DeAngelo hit another three to counter the Pioneers' momentum. A deuce by Darnell and a strong drive to the rack plus a free throw by DeAngelo brought the Falcons within one point at the 4:39 mark. The two teams traded scores on the next four trips down the floor and GSU held a one-point edge with 3:01 to go. The Pioneers clamped down and forced a pair of turnovers while holding the Falcons scoreless for over two minutes late in the final quarter to seize a seven-point lead with 18 seconds to go.
Madeline Huffman knocked down a triple with 15 seconds to go to close the gap to four. GSU managed to run out the clock and held on 74-70 in the highly contested postseason battle.
DeAngelo finished as Fairmont State's leading scorer with 22 points and made 4-of-5 attempts from beyond the arc. Gibbs added 19 and Hall scored 13 to round out the Falcons' double-digit scorers. Darnell forced four steals and tracked down 12 rebounds.
Madeline Huffman passed seven assists and threw in eight points.
The Fairmont State women's basketball team will await the decision of the selection committee in hopes of earning an at-large bid in the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Atlantic Regional Tournament. Fairmont State appeared on the regional rankings in the ninth position before the start of the MEC Tournament. The Falcons will learn their fate on Sunday (March 5) night at 10:30 p.m. when the 2023 DII women's basketball selection show will air.
