BUENA VISTA, Va. – Senior forward Kirsten Rayner scored a season-high 22 points and the Frostburg State women's basketball team pulled away in the second half for an 86-76 victory over Southern Virginia in Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) play at the Knights Sports Center Wednesday night.
Frostburg moves to 6-10 overall and 4-5 in the CAC, while Southern Virginia drops to 3-13 behind a 0-9 mark in conference play. Frostburg went 27-of-61 (44.3%) from the field, and Southern Virginia ended the night shooting 26-of-66 (39.4%) from the floor.
After trailing by two at the break (40-38), the Bobcats outscored the Knights 48-36 in the second half to secure the victory.
Rayner, who scored 20 or more points in a game for the sixth time in her Frostburg career, was incredibly efficient on the offensive end. She finished the night shooting 8-of-11 (72.7%) from the field and 6-of-7 (85.7%) from the foul line and added eight rebounds and a steal.
Sophomore guard Victoria Diggs had 17 points, 12 of which came in the second half.
The Bobcats received a big lift off the bench from junior forward Alexis Welch, who sparked the team with 14 first half points. Welch finished the night with 16 points, going 6-of-11 (54.5%) from the field and 4-of-4 (100%) from the foul line to go along with four rebounds, four assists and two steals in 25 minutes of action.
Frostburg raced to an 8-3 lead to begin the game before the Knights closed the gap and eventually took the lead to close out the first quarter.
Rayner tied the game at 29 on a layup with 7:49 remaining in the first half, part of a 6-0 run for the Bobcats in the second quarter.
Junior Adjowa Pinkrah converted a three-pointer with 1:18 left in the first half to give the Bobcats a 38-36 lead.
Both teams struggled to pull away as they traded baskets for much of the third quarter, but Rayner converted a layup to give FSU a six-point edge, 59-53, with 2:51 left in the third.
Frostburg would take control in the fourth quarter, maintaining a double-digit lead for much of the final five minutes.
The Bobcats were outscored in the first quarter, but would outscore Southern Virginia in the final three quarters, holding a 16-14 edge in the second, a 23-16 advantage in the third and a 25-20 edge in the fourth. The Bobcats made 11 more foul shots than the Knights, despite having only five more attempts at the line.
Merideth Ouellette had a team-high 19 points for the Knights. Shelby Winsor added 16 points and Kimberly Eads finished with 15.
Frostburg will return home to host No. 6 Christopher Newport in CAC play on Saturday, January 21 at 1:00 p.m.
For up-to-date game information, including live stats and video streaming, visit frostburgsports.com.
