FROSTBURG, Md. – The Frostburg State Women's Basketball team put up their best defensive effort of the season to take down Clarion 56-44 in Bobcat Arena on Wednesday evening.
 
FSU lost the opening tip, but forced a miss then turned the other way for a junior Rhiana Hall floater to start the scoring. CU responded with their own bucket, but freshman Emilee Weakley drained a three, then got a steal and got fouled, splitting her free throws for a 6-2 Bobcat lead. Unfortunately for Frostburg, the offense went ice cold for the rest of the quarter, as only a valiant defensive effort kept the team in striking distance with a 10-6 Golden Eagle lead at the break.
 
Senior Maggie Sharp finally woke the team up at the start of the second period, draining three triples inside the first two minutes to suddenly race out to a 15-10 lead. Graduate Shelby Funchess and senior Arianna Briggs-Hall both added scores of their own to put FSU ahead by nine. Clarion tried to get their footing with a made three, but the Bobcats were just getting started, with Hall being fouled on a three-point attempt and converting all of her free throws. Baskets followed from junior MacKenzie Freeze, Hall making an and-one, another Freeze make, Funchess hitting a turnaround layup, and Briggs-Hall converting her old-fashioned three-point play to put the game at 34-15. Sharp capped the team's 31-point quarter with another hit from range, as CU got one last score inside the final minute of the period to go into halftime with Frostburg up 37-19.
 
The interval came at an opportune time for the Golden Eagles, as they put in three buckets to a Weakley jumper at lessened the deficit to 14. Hall took over for a couple possessions, giving herself a pair of baskets, then Sharp had another pair of threes with time winding down in the third. Weakley again split her attempts at the charity stripe inside 30 seconds, making the game 50-31 at the end of the quarter.
 
Both sides struggled from the field in the first four minutes of the final frame, as Clarion made the only bucket in that time. Funchess and Weakley scored back-to-back baskets within 15 seconds of one another, effectively putting the game in hand with five minutes remaining. CU outscored the Bobcats 12-2 in the final few minutes, but FSU had already done their hard work in earning the 56-44 win.
 
The 44 points are the fewest allowed by the team this season, and the fewest allowed overall since November of 2021.
 
Sharp led all scorers with 18 points, as her six three-pointers are tied for the second-most in a single game in program history and the second time she has done the feat in a Bobcat uniform, having also reached the mark in November 2021 against Lock Haven. Weakley added 10 points and a team-high 12 boards, while swiping three steals. Briggs-Hall had a stat-stuffing night off the bench, grabbing five rebounds, dishing out a game-high four assists, and tying Weakley with three steals of her own.
 
With the win, Frostburg improves to 3-8 overall, while Clarion falls to 0-7. FSU takes a short break before returning to the court on Saturday, December 31 as they hit the road to face Salem (WV) for the final non-conference contest of the season. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m., as information and updates will be posted at frostburgsports.com.