FROSTBURG, Md. – The Frostburg State women's basketball team outscored St. Mary's (Md.) 16-8 in the third quarter, and turned a four-point game at halftime into a 70-56 victory at Bobcat Arena on Saturday.
 
With the win, the Bobcats bring their conference record to 2-2, and 6-4 overall. St. Mary's falls to 0-4 in Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) play and 2-6 overall.
 
Sophomore Victoria Diggs led the way for the Bobcats with a 22-point performance. Diggs connected on two threes and made all six of her free throw attempts while also grabbing five rebounds and three steals in 34 minutes of action. It's the fifth time this season that she's eclipsed 20 points.
 
The Bobcats shot a season-best 49 percent from the field and connected on 16 of 20 free throws. FSU matched its season-high with 11 steals and scored 26 points off 18 turnovers.
 
The first quarter went back-and-forth as the lead changed hands seven times. A last-second layup handed St. Mary's a 17-16 advantage after the first period.
 
St. Mary's took a three-point lead early in the second quarter before junior Amber Downey put back an offensive rebound to keep the Bobcats within one. St. Mary's took its largest lead in the game in the second quarter with a 29-25 advantage, but Diggs' steal and layup jumpstarted a 7-2 FSU spurt to give Frostburg a 30-29 lead.
 
The game remained even as first-year Kayla Wilson knocked down a jumper to tie the game at 32 with 2:18 to play in the first half. Diggs made two free throws and Wilson added a layup to close the half with six straight Bobcat points and led 36-32.
 
Frostburg State took control with a stingy third quarter on the defensive end. The Bobcats registered five steals and two blocks, while St. Mary's committed eight turnovers. When the quarter had ended, Frostburg had extended its lead from four points to 12 points.
 
Leading 40-36, the Bobcats reeled off four straight baskets for a 9-0 run. Junior Jasmine Tirado-Viscalla had a layup, a three-pointer, and an assist in the sequence. The Bobcats did not lead by fewer than 10 points after that run, and carried a 52-40 advantage into the fourth.
 
Despite nine fourth quarter turnovers, Frostburg State extended its lead to as many as 17 points thanks to 10-12 shooting from the free-throw line. The Bobcats shot 13-16 from the stripe in the second half after attempting just four foul shots in the first half. The Bobcat defense also limited St. Mary's Kerri Kline to five second half points after scoring 14 in the first half.
 
The Bobcat bench contributed 25 points, including season-highs from Tirado-Viscalla who posted eight points with six assists and Wilson, who had a collegiate-best seven points. Downey added eight points and eight rebounds in 15 minutes.
 
Sophomore Sydney Stotler finished in double-figures for the third straight game with 10 points and two blocks. Classmate Amanda Emory added six points, six rebounds, three blocks and a pair of steals.
 
Next for the Bobcats is a non-conference matchup with Waynesburg in Bobcat Arena on December 30 at 1:30 p.m.