WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. -- The Fairmont State University women's basketball team made the journey to face the Hilltoppers of West Liberty University. A 16-point run to close the first period sparked the Falcons to secure an 87-59 road win.

Jalen Gibbs paced the Falcons with 16 points, going 7-10 from the field with eight rebounds. Alyssa DeAngelo added 15 points while Leslie Huffman scored 11 on the afternoon. Madeline Huffman, Aaliyah Brunny and Leila Jones each scored 10 points.

Early in the first period, Fairmont State (11-3, 6-2) jumped out to an early 5-0 lead as Alyssa DeAngelo hits a three. West Liberty (5-9, 3-4) quickly answered with eight-straight points including to two three-point shots. The Falcons hit the next two layups before the hosts made two free throws to lead 10-9 with 4:25 left in the first.

Just under a minute later, Leila Jones nailed a three from the top of the key and drew a foul. Jones completed the four-point play as the FSU offense got the spark it needed. The maroon and white closed the first by scoring 16-consecutive points to lead 25-10. During the run, Jalen Gibbs scored six points in the paint.

The Falcons carried momentum into the second as Leila Jones hit another three before the Hilltoppers made back-to-back threes to stop the run. Both teams started to settle in on both ends of the floor with Fairmont State still in front by 12 (33-21) at the 4:53 mark of the second.

Play slowed over the final four minutes but Fairmont State closed strong as it scored the final five points. Over their last five shots, the Falcons made four of them while on the other side, West Liberty ended the second by going 1-7 from the field. At the half, FSU led 41-25 going into the locker room.

To open the second half, Fairmont State wasted little time getting back in the groove as it scored the first nine points. West Liberty tried to slow the run with a layup but Aaliyah Brunny had the answer with two-straight layups to make it a 54-27 game with 6:11 left on the clock.

Maintaining the double-digit lead, the Falcons were able to match the Hilltoppers over the final six minutes of the period. FSU scored an additional 14 points while the hosts added 12 points. Headed to the final 10 minutes of regulation, Fairmont State led 68-39.

With a comfortable lead, the visitors kept a strong grasp on the game, never letting the lead dip less than the 28-point margin of victory.

The Falcons dominated the paint with 50 of their total points coming from there. Another key contributor was the bench as the Falcons scored 35 with only seven from the bench of West Liberty.

Fairmont State remains on the road for a Wednesday matinee matchup with conference newcomer, Point Park University on Wednesday, January 15. Start time is set for 1:00 p.m.