FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – The Frostburg State women's basketball team overcame a 15-point deficit to force overtime, but ultimately fell to Mary Washington, 65-54 in the first round of the Capital Athletic Conference Tournament.
The host Eagles cruised to a 12-0 lead to kick off the action in the first quarter, with half of the points coming from Tory Martin before Bobcat junior Victoria Diggs dropped in a three-pointer to stop the early run.
UMW continued to hold a healthy lead that ballooned to 15 points after a Jordan Pamlanye layup gave the Eagles a 24-9 lead with 5:14 left in the first half. With their backs to the wall, the Bobcats started clawing back, starting with a modest 8-2 run towards the end of the second quarter that was capped off with a three-pointer from senior Megan Kelly. Going into the halftime locker room, the Eagles held a 28-17 lead.
After the intermission, the Bobcats picked up where they left off, going on another 8-2 run, featuring two successful shots from beyond the arc from Kelly, to cut their deficit to five points, 30-25. After a UMW free throw, Kelly again drained a three-pointer to bring Frostburg to within three points. The remainder of the third quarter was a back-and-forth affair with FSU sophomore Kayla Wilson ending the period with a jumper with 29 seconds remaining. Going into the final frame of regulation, UMW's lead sat at 39-35.
Midway through the fourth quarter, the Bobcats found themselves on top for the first time in the game after back-to-back three-pointers from Diggs and Kelly capped off a 10-2 run and gave Frostburg a 45-43 advantage with 3:17 remaining in the game. After a free throw from junior Amanda Emory gave FSU a three-point lead, UMW's Emily Thompson tied the game with a successful three-pointer.
Kelly answered Thompson's three with one of her own with 30 seconds left in regulation. The Bobcats held a 50-46 lead with 19 seconds left, but Thompson again drained a three-pointer for UMW and followed that up with a layup to give the hosts a 51-50 lead. With 0.4 seconds left on the clock, Kelly was fouled to keep the Bobcats' hopes alive. She made 1-of-2 from the charity stripe and sent the game into overtime tied, 51-51.
The Eagles started the overtime period like they did in the first quarter, holding the Bobcats scoreless and taking advantage, going on a 7-0 run, thanks in part to two Pamlanye layups, to give the Eagles a 58-51 lead with two minutes remaining, and they never looked back.
Frostburg could only muster three overtime points, all of which came on free throws, and UMW went on to win, 65-54.
Kelly led the Bobcats with a season-high 25 points, 21 of which came in the second half to lead the Bobcat comeback. In the second half, she shot 6-of-6 from the field and 5-of-5 from three-point range. Emory finished the evening with 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Pamlyne had a double-double, scoring 19 points and reeling in 14 rebounds to lead the Eagles.
Overall, Mary Washington outshot FSU from the field, 40.0% to 29.6%. UMW will move on to the semifinal round of the CAC Tournament where they will face #1 Christopher Newport on Thursday, February 21.
The Bobcats now sit at 15-10, their first winning season since the 2009-10 season when the team when 19-8. Frostburg awaits a possible bid to the ECAC Tournament, which will be announced on Monday, February 25. Be sure to check frostburgsports.com to see if the Bobcats' season continues.
