FROSTBURG, Md. – The Frostburg State Women's Basketball team staged a stunning fourth quarter comeback but just came up short in an overtime loss to West Virginia State 88-79 on Wednesday evening.
 
The game started with a pair of free throws for FSU on an administrative technical from the WVSU bench, from which senior Maggie Sharp knocked both down. Freshman Emilee Weakley began the game on a positive note by grabbing a defensive rebound and running the length of the floor for a bucket and a 4-0 Bobcat lead. The Yellow Jackets responded with five unanswered, but Weakley got back on track with a pair of baskets either side of a layup by graduate Shelby Funchess as Frostburg led 10-5. WVSU used an early timeout, which helped spark them to an 8-0 run and regaining the lead at 13-10.
 
Junior MacKenzie Freeze provided some offense with back-to-back scores, but the Yellow Jackets were there each time with a bucket of their own. With the score at 19-14, Weakley converted on an and-one, then senior Arianna Briggs-Hall connected on her fifth career three-pointer to give FSU the lead back at 20-19. The Yellow Jackets were able to use their speed on breakaways late in the quarter, racing out to a few layups to take a 26-22 lead after a high-tempo first period.
 
Weakley began the second with an early jumper, then the Bobcat defense held WVSU scoreless for the first two minutes, allowing senior Ciara Thomas to knock down a triple and give Frostburg a 27-26 lead. With just under eight minutes left in the quarter, it was the Yellow Jackets' turn to get stops on defense, as they held FSU without a field goal all the way until there was one minute until the half. Thankfully for the Bobcats, they were able to get some bonus points at the charity stripe, especially from junior Rhiana Hall, who put in a pair with WVSU up by seven to stay within touching distance. Each team traded layups late on, then went scoreless in the final minute of play to go into halftime with the Yellow Jackets in the lead 38-33.
 
WVSU came out firing to start the third, making three baskets in the first minute and a half, but Weakley was able to go coast-to-coast on a defensive rebound and score, then Sharp hit a clutch three to keep FSU within four at 42-38. The Yellow Jackets pushed back and grew the lead to eight, but Sharp hit another from distance to provide an answer. Frostburg continued to fight back every time it seemed WVSU could pull away, getting to the line regularly and getting all the way back to a three-point deficit after a tough jumper from Briggs-Hall. Some late offense was key to the Bobcats staying in the game, as the Yellow Jackets found their stroke from behind the arc with a pair of threes, but Hall put in a pair of free throws and a late basket to head to the fourth quarter with WVSU in the lead 64-57.
 
Each team began the period ice cold from the field, as the only score in the first three minutes came on a Weakley jumper. The sides then traded blows in a minute span, with Thomas and Briggs-Hall answering a pair of Yellow Jacket scores to bring the score to 68-63. WVSU pushed the lead to seven with just over five minutes remaining, then the under-five media timeout sparked FSU into action. The key to the comeback came on the defensive end, as Frostburg forced stop after stop, allowing Weakley to take over with three straight buckets, then Thomas brought the Bobcat Arena crowd to life on a steal from which she was fouled on her layup attempt. She was only able to split the pair of free throws, which brought the contest to a 70-70 tie with just under three minutes remaining.
 
Each team struggled to find offense in a tense couple of minutes, with the Yellow Jackets first to break through on a foul to put them at the line on three separate occasions, but only hit three out of the six total as the clock ticked down to 20 seconds, giving FSU a chance to stay alive. Head Coach Jenna Eckleberry called a timeout and drew up a plan to tie the game, which was worked to perfection when Thomas drove to the lane and kicked out to Sharp for a corner three that brought the Bobcat crowd and the bench into delirium, tying things at 73-73 with 10 seconds left. WVSU still had a late chance to score a winner, but Frostburg's defense locked in and didn't allow a shot to get off, taking the game to overtime.
 
A pair of missed threes began the extra period, then the Yellow Jackets struck first on a layup and split a pair at the line for a three-point lead. Weakley continued to will her team on with a clean three-point make, though WVSU responded with a triple of their own, then Sharp fooled the defense with a smooth shot fake that led to a baseline bucket to bring things to 79-78 Yellow Jackets. Unfortunately for FSU, the shots stopped falling in the final 90 seconds, as WVSU scored seven unanswered and made their free throws late on to pull out the hard-fought 88-79 victory.
 
Weakley led all scorers with 32 points in an heroic effort, the most points scored for the Bobcats in a game since former standout Victoria Diggs had 33 in February 2020. She also had a game-high 14 rebounds, followed closely by Briggs-Hall's 10 boards. Funchess and Thomas led the defensive effort, combining for five steals and a pair of blocks on the day.
 
With the loss, Frostburg falls to 2-5, while the Yellow Jackets improve to 5-1. FSU returns to the court on Saturday, December 3 as they travel to Charleston (WV) for a 2 PM contest. Information and updates will be posted at frostburgsports.com.