WHEELING, W.Va. -- The 19th-ranked and top seeded Fairmont State University women's basketball team battled the fourth-seeded Frostburg State Bobcats in the MEC Tournament Semifinal. The Falcons used its strong defense to advance to its second-straight championship game with a 74-49 win.

"I'm extremely proud of our team," head coach Stephanie Anderson said after the win. "I thought that defensively tonight our team did and outstanding job. I thought they played team defense and trusted each other. I'm very proud."

Leslie Huffman led the way for Fairmont State with 21 points as she also grabbed nine rebounds while going 11-14 from the free throw line. Madeline Huffman added 16 points with four boards and assists. Leila Jones finished the afternoon with 13 points with another 12 coming from Alyssa DeAngelo.

The opening five minutes was a defensive battle as the two teams only combined for six points with Frostburg State (19-11) holding a two-point advantage (4-2). Fairmont State (26-4) got the spark it needed with a three from Leila Jones as the Falcons finished the first period on a 12-0 run. Going to the second, Fairmont led 14-4.

In the second period, the defensive battle continued as the Falcons scored the first two points but neither team found the bottom of the net until the Bobcats did with 6:38 on the clock. It was the first points for Frostburg since the 5:34 mark of the first period.

The field goal was the first of seven-straight points for the Bobcats until Madeline Huffman and Leila Jones made consecutive threes to reopen the double-digit lead, 22-11. The two sides went back-and-forth for the remainder of the period as Fairmont State led 28-20 going to the locker room.

Frostburg State scored the first basket of the second half before the Falcons used a 7-0 run to extend the lead to 13 (35-22). During the stretch, Madeline Huffman accounted for five of the points. The Bobcats were able to chip away at the deficit and make it a nine-point contest before Fairmont State took full control of the game. The Falcons ended the third period on a 19-6 run and led 55-35 as the game ventured to the final 10 minutes of regulation.

In the final period, Frostburg State tried to narrow the margin but Fairmont had an answer each time down the floor. Over the final 1:49 of the game, the Falcons held the Bobcats scoreless to secure the 25-point win and a spot in the conference championship game for the second-straight year.

The Falcons forced 25 turnovers while only committing 10 of their own. The team was able to convert those turnovers into 26 points and at the free throw line made 19 of their 24 attempts.

"You don't know if you are going to score night to night," Anderson added. "That's not a controllable but for us, how hard we play and our habits that we do, winning fifty-fifty- balls and all the heart we show, that is a controllable for me."

"I think that it was a mindset we developed in the locker room," Leslie Huffman mentioned. "Coach came in at that the half that this was our game to win and come out in the third and throw the first punch. I think that's exactly what we did."

"On any given night, someone else can step up," Madeline Huffman added. "I think there were moments for me that I took advantage of, thankfully. It's easy to look good when you are surrounded by four great players every time I am out there."

Fairmont State will now face the sixth-seeded Glenville State Pioneers in the MEC Championship Game on Sunday, March 9. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m.