ALTOONA, Pa. – The Frostburg State women's basketball team led by double-digits for much of the contest, but a late-game surge brought Penn State Altoona dangerously close to pulling off a comeback victory.
When it was all said and done, Frostburg posted its fourth win in six games by holding on for a 72-71 win over the Lions (9-14) after a missed free throw with two seconds left would have tied the game.
Frostburg (5-18) led by as many as 14 points in the opening half and 13 in the second, but Penn State Altoona used the final 10 minutes of action to narrow its deficit to a single basket on several occasions. With 24 seconds remaining, Altoona's Nicole Gripp knocked down two free throws to knot the contest at 70-70.
Frostburg answered with seven seconds left when senior Ronje James calmly knocked down two free throws of her own to push the Bobcat lead back to two, 72-70.
On the ensuing trip down the floor for the Lions, Moira Corrigan drew a foul while shooting and earned two foul shots with a chance to tie the game. She made the first, but missed the second and James pulled down the rebound to seal the win.
James led all players with 27 points, her seventh-straight game with 20 or more. Senior Jasmine Walker added 16 points and a career-best 18 rebounds, while junior Courtney Young scored 11.
Frostburg shot 41.7 percent (30-of-72) from the field and outrebounded PSA, 47-37. The Bobcats also poured in a season-high 45 first-half points en route to their fourth win in six games.
After a back-and-forth start that featured several lead changes over the first seven minutes, Frostburg collected a quick 8-0 run and never trailed again, despite Altoona's late rally.
At 6:33, Young hit a jumper to lift the Bobcats to an 11-point cushion, 38-27, and senior Jasmine Walker made a layup with 5:29 showing in the first half as Frostburg grabbed its largest lead of the stanza at 41-27.
Frostburg kept its foot on the accelerator early in the second half. James hit a layup to open the second period and later hit two free throws as FSU led 59-46 with 13:46 showing. Just past the midway point, James knocked down a three-pointer for Frostburg's final double-digit lead, 62-51.
Penn State Altoona rebounded over the final 10 minutes of the game and brought its deficit to within a basket several times. The Lions cut the deficit to 63-60 at 6:29, and trailed by just two, 69-67 at 2:11 before tying the contest with 24 seconds remaining.
Corrigan posted a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds for the host Lions, while Brittany Boslet and Madison Mossellem each totaled 14 points.
Frostburg State travels to York this Wednesday for a 6:00 pm tip-off.
